Sky Pirates
by ScooterJLM
Summary: War rages between the Gerudo and the Hylians while Sky Pirates raid land and sky. Faith in the Goddesses has all but vanished. Captain Link Hylia does what every other Sky Pirate does: raids and plunders with his crew of the Courage. All it took was a certain violet eyed woman to change his life forever. Detailed summary inside. Rated T for blood, violence and mild language.
1. Narrow Escape

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or Nintendo.**

**Full Summary: Long ago, Hyrule was a golden land, filled with castles, fairies, and mythical Heroes. But that land is gone. Ages have passed, during which Hyrule has developed into a technological society, filled with pirates, drugs, and weapons. Faith in the Goddesses and the old ways have all but vanished. War wages on land and in the sky between the Gerudo and the Hylians while Sky Pirates raid unsuspecting merchant ships and warships alike, stealing anything they can get their hands on. Sky Ship Captain, Link Hylia does the same as the rest: he raids steals and plunders land and sky with his crew of the Sky Galley class ship _Courage._ One day, a violet-eyed woman changed his life forever. With the help of an unexpected friend, old legends will see the light of day once more and the Triforce will choose new owners.  
**

**Author's Note: What's up guys, my name is ScooterJLM and I'm here to bring you a brand new LoZ chapter story. This story is supposed to fit on the end of the child timeline, but there will be key plot points that involve other timelines so it's kind of a big jumble of everything.**

**You may already know but if you don't, this is a sci-fi Fanfic because frankly, I'm getting tired of writing about the overdone medieval-fantasy thing and wanted to try something different. But that doesn't mean I won't stop publishing those.**

**Without further ado, I give you _Sky Pirates_.**

**R&R.**

**REVISED AND EDITED:**** 18/04/2013, 15/07/2013, & 16/07/2013**

* * *

**Sky Pirates**

_by ScooterJLM_

Chapter One: Narrow Escape

**Somewhere in the Southern Celestian Sea...**

He had really screwed up now. He still couldn't believe he had gotten caught. At least his Loftwing had gotten away. '_Good ol' Crimson could always take care of himself.'_

Rain and seawater dripped from the ceiling, which explained him being thoroughly soaked. A thunderstorm had been brewing and was just making its appearance, coming out in full force.

The guttural snorts and low-pitched whines of his Moblin captors brought him back to his current situation, assaulting his pointed Hylian ears as they marched him through the dark concrete halls. He could have taken both of them if he had his sword but, like everything else he had with him, it was taken away when he was captured. The one exception being the clothes on his back.

A long, faded black coat, a long-sleeved white shirt, brown trousers, and knee-high, worn boots were all he had left.

Something hard snapped under his boot. When he looked down, he saw a dry, cracked skeletal hand. The middle finger had broken off, along with the bottom half of the palm. The resulting powder clung to his boot, painting the bottom a greyish white. Moblins were hated by Hylians and humans alike in Hyrule and the other nations, for their trait of eating human flesh. Drug and arms suppliers used them because of their trait of being easily turned into slaves. Get them hooked on something and they would do anything for it.

He briefly wondered whether or not he would become another skeleton. He quickly pushed the thought away as he stopped and looked down at the cracked hand with a mixture of sadness and disgust.

The moment was short-lived as one of his captors rammed his spear into the prisoner's back. The blow elicited a grunt of pain from the hand-cuffed prisoner, sending him stumbling forwards. He straightened and looked back, throwing the Moblins a hateful glare. They gave him another cruel shove. He continued to shuffle along, hearing the snorts of Moblin laughter behind him.

He was marched through corridor after grimy corridor hearing screams, groans and, oddly, hysterical laughter echoing around. He must have been close to some kind of cell area to hear his fellow prisoner's screams. Someone else screamed louder than the rest, and it sent goosebumps up the prisoner's neck. He knew he wouldn't be able to escape without the help of his pirate friends.

Finally, his entourage stopped in front of a plain metal door at the end of a hall. It was rusty and dented at some points. One of his Moblin captors pounded on the door, and a few moments later it creaked open on rusty hinges. No lanterns hung in the room; it was almost completely dark.

A voice sounded through the gloom. "Ah, I see you found our pirate friend," it said. "Bring him here."

The Moblins shoved him harshly through the door, then slammed it. He looked around the room trying to discern who else was in there with him. He had a guess at who it was, but he wasn't sure. He glanced around the room, seeing the outlines of furniture and other things neatly scattered around, yet there were no visible light sources. '_Goddesses, why does it have to be so damn dark?' _he thought.

Some light may have been able to make it into the room from the large windows on one side of the room, but the moon was blocked out by the thunderclouds. The windows were shaken and pelted with rain from the storm outside. It surprised him they hadn't been ripped from the wall. Out the windows he saw the sea, and the rest of the concrete complex on the edges of the large rock cliffs.

While he gazed around the room, a soft thud snapped his eyes over to the windows again. His eyes came to rest on a desk with an elegant chair faced away from him. A leg hung over the side, the other on the floor and an elbow leaned on the arm, the hand's middle finger and thumb rubbing together.

"So, you were trying to steal from my stores of Light Energy Rods?" the man's voice echoed slightly. "You Sky Pirates are all the same! Thieving and sneaking your way in the world! You disgust me." The captive remained silent.

The man stood and turned around to face him. The prisoner should have known. Even through the gloom he could make out his features. He had short white hair, white lips, and brown eyes that had some sort of blue paint under them. A blue crystal hung from one pointed ear, while the other was bare and seemed to be cut short and round; Ghirahim.

Ghirahim had caused a lot trouble to him and his pirate crew over the years, such as preventing them from getting supplies, dogging them all over the planet, and just beating them to the punch on some real nice merchandise that they could have 'acquired'. He was sadistic bastard, who raped and killed whoever he pleased, making sure to draw out their pain for as long as he wanted. He mostly dealt with weapons, but he was sometimes known for his drug production. Jabber Nuts, Glittering Mushroom Spores, and Golden Bugs all caused powerful hallucinations and were manufactured and sold by Ghirahim.

Ghirahim opened a drawer in his desk and took out a long object. In the semi-darkness of the room, the captive struggled to see what it was, but Ghirahim concealed it behind his back. He blinked a few beads of sweat from his eyes and Ghirahim was gone. He blinked again but Ghirahim was still gone. '_Trick__y bastard'_, he thought bitterly.

He swallowed his fear and looked around but stood still, not wanting to walk into something. He looked back at the desk and sighed, getting tired of his games. He could barely contain a yelp of surprise as Ghirahim materialized in front of him, the air crackling with dark energy.

Ghirahim snapped his fingers and the lights brightly flared, momentarily blinding him. The captive opened his eyes and realized he was looking down the barrel of a Bolt Shooter. Bolt Shooters were a one shot crossbow-like weapon, the two limbs sticking out from the sides of the barrel. The limbs had to be pulled back and a bolt loaded, which was an eight-inch rod of metal, to be fired again.

"So, Captain Link," Ghirahim said darkly, "give me a reason I shouldn't shoot you here and now."

Before Link could respond or try to disarm Ghirahim, his pointed Hylian ears picked up on a steady hum getting louder by the second. It was the hum of Light Energy and Sky Ship engines; he had lived around those sounds for ten years. Link looked past Ghirahim and saw the outline of a Sky Ship quickly growing larger, the familiar black hull and sails blended in to the dark night as it sped right towards them. Link looked back to Ghirahim who was holding the bolt shooter and grinning cockily.

"Well?" Ghirahim asked, about to squeeze the trigger. The limbs tensed and pulled back slightly, ready to put a bolt in Link's head.

"Okay, here's a reason. You're about to die!" Link yelled before the ship rammed her hull into the building's side, the bow smashing through the windows. Lights sparked and flickered out as it continued to crash through the building.

Link ran in the opposite direction, then leapt to the side, landing painfully on the floor as glass, stone, and all other sorts of shrapnel exploded overhead, raining down on his back and head. Link waited until the sound of grinding and scraping ceased and for debris to stop flying, then raised his head and looked around.

The jet black hull of _Courage_ loomed overhead, her gilded and shining green name on her side. Thankfully, no masts had been damaged in the crash, only the bow pushed through the building. Getting to his feet he stumbled around on the debris, coughing from the dust cloud thrown up by the impact. Ghirahim was nowhere to be seen as he was most likely crushed under the ship's massive hull. Link looked up to the top of his ship, and standing there, on the ship's railing with his arms crossed, soaking wet, was his second in command; Jak.

Even up where he was perched on the railing, Link could still make out his features. He had short fiery orange hair, red eyes, and a cocky smirk. Jak gave a booming laugh, surprisingly loud for a nineteen-year old, and shouted down to him, "Ahoy thar, Captain!"

Link smiled and shook his head slightly. "Jak! I told you to look after _Courage,_ not ram her into Ghirahim's fortress!" he shouted back.

"Hey, I saved your sorry butt, didn't I? And besides, we stole that ship armour from one of the supply warships heading to Zora's Domain so I figured we should test it. Anyway, I've got a present for you." Jak tossed a small object over the railing and Link caught it in his handcuffed hands; a Hookshot. Hookshots were short but had a chamber in the middle that stored a coiled up chain with a spike on the end that could be used as a weapon or to grapple up to high places. "We can swing around and pick up the rest of the crew. We dropped them on the other end of the complex while Navi and I went to this side knowing you were probably caught."

"Well, you were right! I'm hand-cuffed, so get down here!"

"Keep your panties on. I'm coming down with your gear." He threw down a plain black scabbard and a bolt shooter belt that had a few bolts tied to it. Though bolt shooters were widely used, swordsmanship was still practiced by some people in Hyrule. However, it was a dying art, especially in the military. Pirates used them most because of their lack of ammo consuming weapons. He dropped the Hookshot and went to wrap the belt around his waist but the cuffs on his wrists restrained him.

Link picked up his Hookshot again, squeezed the trigger, and watched as it shot through the air and sunk into the railing of _C__ourage._ Jak nodded and ran down the chain, reaching him in seconds.

"I still don't get how you do that Jak. And why didn't you just use your Hookshot?" Link muttered, retracting the Hookshot.

Jak smiled and said, "Sheikah training. And I like to rub your nose in it. Hold out your hands." Link held his hands as far apart as possible and watched as Jak unsheathed and raised his sword. Jak brought it down, breaking through the chains and easing the tension on his wrists. As quick as possible, Link picked up the bolt shooter belt and wrapped it around his waist and then strapped the sword to his back.

Suddenly, Jak's expression brightened and it looked like he remembered something. "Here, captain, I almost forgot," he said reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a three-tipped, brown leather object and handed it to him.

Link smoothed it out and laughed, remembering his favourite hat. He placed it on his head, feeling like he was a captain again. Before Link could thank his Sheikah friend, a loud banging sound brought their attention to the door Link had been shoved through. There were sure to be Moblins that had come to protect their boss when the pirates had attacked.

Link looked to his friend. "Jak, get the door. I'll distract them."

"Got it!" Jak ran over to the wall and leaned against it next to the door. He then slid his bolt shooter out of its holster and his sword out of its scabbard.

Link positioned himself a few feet away and in front of the door, ready to distract the Moblins. Finally, the pounding stopped and a few moments passed before it burst open. Moblins stood behind it, their disgustingly pig-like faces partially blocking the light spilling into the broken room. Smiling, Link waved cheerfully to the Moblins and watched as Jak tensed, ready for them to come through. Jak raised his bolt shooter and aimed it at head-height (or at least Moblin head height) as the first unlucky pig stepped through and got a bolt through his head.

The next one grunted and ran through to investigate, only to get sliced through the middle by Jak's sword. Its green blood spilled over his sword and onto the floor, then it snorted in pain as Jak tugged his blade free, letting the Moblin fall to the floor. Link laughed and ran over to his friend as he reloaded his bolt shooter then clapped him on the shoulder.

"Nice job, Jak. Lets get some fuel," Link said turning to the door and stepping into the light.

* * *

They raced through the damp corridors, oddly not being attacked by any Moblins. Link was glad for the simple infiltration, but it felt too easy.

"Hey Jak, why aren't there any Moblins around?" he asked as they rounded a corner and went down some stairs.

Jak laughed and replied, "We blew a big hole on the other side of the fortress, then dropped a boarding party in. Stupid Moblins never knew what hit 'em."

Link stopped and paled. "Uh, Jak?" Jak stopped. "The Energy Rods are on that side of the complex."

Jak stood there a moment, then groaned and raised a hand to his face in realisation. "Ah, crap! Of course they are!"

"Jak, how low on fuel are we?" Link asked hesitantly.

Jak looked back to his captain with a grim expression. "Very."

"Dammit!" Link yelled in frustration as he kicked the wall. He let out a sigh, then continued, " We may as well check if any Energy Rods survived."

"Wouldn't hurt," Jak replied glumly.

As they continued through the hallways they went unchallenged, but when they rounded a corner they saw a thick smoke rising through a giant hole in the roof. '_Guess this is our little entrance,'_ Link thought, knowing _Courage's _firepower accomplished this. Rain poured through the hole, leaving the hallway soaked and covered in ankle-deep water.

Fires flickered in the hallway, debris littered the floor, and the din of battle steadily grew louder and louder. They both drew their bolt shooters, just in time. As they proceeded down the corridor, four Moblins went running past at the end of the hallway. Link and Jak tensed but stood still.

The Moblins continued to rush by until the Moblin on the end glanced their way and did a double-take, alerting his companions to the intruders. The four Moblins came charging down the corridor towards them, bolt shooters raised.

"Jak, split!" Link barked. Link and Jak took cover on opposite sides of the hallway, behind chunks of the fallen roof as the Moblins' bolts whizzed by overhead.

In complete unison, Link and Jak stood up and took aim; Jak's bolt missed, but Link's hit one of the Moblins straight in its ugly face. Link watched in satisfaction as it half flipped backwards, landing on its stomach. Seeing this, the others took cover behind more chunks of debris.

Link looked over to his friend. "I'll take the one on the left; you take the two on the right!"

Jak looked at him incredulously, "Two?"

Link pointed at Jak and said, "Yeah, two! You missed!"

They each slid another bolt into their shooters and gingerly looked over their cover, only to have more bolts fly straight for their heads. Eyes wide, they ducked quickly, and Link felt the bolt graze his hat. Fuming, Link swiped off his hat and saw a large hole in the leather.

"You pig bastards! That was a good hat!" he shouted from behind his cover. Link shoved the hat back onto his head and, with renewed anger at the stupid pigs, stood up and aimed, waiting for one of them to raise its head.

After a few moments of waiting, Link noticed a Moblin raise its head above cover. He then took aim and shot it in the eye, watching as it screamed and fell back behind cover. That left only two.

Already forming a plan, Link turned to Jak as he took cover again. "Jak! Distract them and I'll get them while they're reloading."

Link peeked around the corner of the piece of roof he was sitting behind, then waited for Jak to stand. As soon as Jak showed himself, the Moblins aimed and fired, sending bolts flying towards him. Jak ducked at the last second, which signalled Link to move in. With a yell, Link sprang up and unsheathed his sword, running towards them as they reloaded.

In one quick motion, Link leapt over the Moblin that was taking cover on the left, rolled to the ground, and cut its throat as it turned around, sending green blood spraying onto Link's shirt and face. Link turned around and saw the other Moblin approaching him, spear raised.

The Moblin jabbed at him with its spear, a savage grunt escaping its mouth. Link grabbed its arm with his free hand, and twisted its wrist as it stabbed at him. It cried out in pain as it dropped its spear to the ground with a clatter. Link sliced along its belly then embedded his sword just under the Moblin's chin, gurgling as it bled as green blood ran down its throat.

Link tugged his blade free, letting the Moblin fall to the floor with a heavy thud, blood pooling around its body. Jak came up to him with grim smile. "That's pretty gruesome, captain."

"Yeah, well, we're pirates," Link said with a shrug.

"Fair enough."

After fighting more Moblins, leaping fires, and shifting debris out the way, they eventually reached the boarding party, standing amidst a sea of Moblin bodies. One of his pirates strode up to him and Link recognized him as Wrench, the ship's chief mechanic.

Nobody knew Wrench's real name, and since Link recruited him for his extensive mechanical knowledge, everybody just called him Wrench. Long iron-grey hair tucked behind black goggles, green eyes, and rounded ears were his most obvious features.

"Ahoy, captain!" he called out, crossing the distance between the two of them.

"Wrench, give me status report," Link demanded, looking past his friend at the moment and taking in his crew. Some were getting cuts tied off with pieces of clothing, while others stood guard and watched the corridors for any more Moblins.

Wrench grinned. "Aye, captain. We blasted a hole with the _Courage's_ cannons, then we rode our Loftwings down into the east side, then made our way here. We haven't found the Light Energy Rod storage yet though."

"That's fine. I already found it before I got captured. I can bring you and Jak with me," Link said, clapping him on the arm.

"That's not all. We lost Johnson."

The words hit Link like a bag of bricks. In the years he had been a captain, his crew had served him loyally and had been with him since the beginning. To have one of them die because of him... He pushed those thoughts away and ran a hand through his hair.

"Alright," Link breathed. He looked back up. "Okay, Wrench, Jak, you come with me." He walked past them then addressed his group of pirates. "The rest of you lot! Get back to the _Courage_ and make sure she's shipshape and ready to get out of here as fast as possible!"

Link watched as his crew rushed past them, but Jak stopped one he saw carrying a couple of burlap sacks. "Gill, give me those sacks. We're gonna need 'em to get the Energy Rods out."

Jak gave one to Wrench and kept the other one for himself. They were ready to go, but Wrench stopped him. "Take this, captain," he said holding out his hand, "in case we get separated."

Link took the object and saw it was a radio earpiece. He attached it to his ear and they continued through the corridors. Again, no Moblins were there to challenge their progress. After a few minutes of silence, Link stopped his friends at a corner.

"Okay. Energy Rod storage should be right around this corner, get ready," Link whispered, drawing his bolt shooter. Wrench and Jak did the same.

Before they rushed in, Link peeked around the corner and saw six Moblins guarding the door he knew led to the fuel. Though he wasn't a religious man, he couldn't help but think, '_Thank the Goddesses that Jak didn't blow this part of the base.'_

Link pulled his head back, whistled a tune, and listened to the sound of confused grunts from around the corner. As soon as the first Moblin came around the corner, Link stuck out his leg, causing the monster to crash to ground. He stopped it from getting up with a quick bolt to the back of the head.

Link reloaded, then nodded to his crewmen. They dashed around the corner, surprising the approaching Moblins, and fired, all their shots hitting their respective targets.

The two remaining Moblins backed off, realising they were now outnumbered. Link smiled and lowered his bolt shooter as they moved in. Taking advantage of Link's unguarded state, the Moblins raised their shooters and fired, sending bolts speeding through the air towards Jak.

Mentally cursing his overconfidence, Link leapt over to Jak and pulled him down, hearing the bolts sink into the wall behind them. As soon as Link jumped to protect Jak, Wrench took out one of the Moblins which left one, scrambling to reload its shooter.

With a cry of anger, Link leapt into action, his sword springing free of its home on his back. A squeal of fright escaped the Moblin's mouth as it dropped its bolt shooter from its trembling hands. Link jumped and spun, bringing his foot out to connect with the creature's jaw, sending it stumbling to the ground.

Without pausing, Link performed a move his sword master taught him. The greying old man that still knew how to kill, had called it, the ending blow.

Once the Moblin went still, Link sheathed his sword and turned to his crew mates, gesturing to the door. "Shall we?"

* * *

Link, Jak, and Wrench sprinted through the debris covering the large room, towards the _Courage _with bags of Energy Rods in hand. The pirates stopped, pulled out their Hookshots, and fired, each of their shots landing on the railing.

As Link pulled himself over the railing, Jak shouted down to the crew on the deck. "All hands to battle-stations!"

The crew responded with a chorus of "Aye sir!" as they scattered below to the cannon deck, some staying up to secure the sails and to give firing instructions to the cannons below.

Jak passed his bag of Energy Rods to Wrench before he ran off below as well, leaving Link and Jak at the bow. A blue ball of light hovered above him and Link recognized it as Navi. Each ship had a navigator that controlled the engines and other technological aspects of the ship, making things significantly easier for the crew. "Navi, plot a course out of here! Let's not give them the chance to shoot us down!" Link shouted over the storm.

"Aye, captain! Full speed, um, backwards!"

Link rolled his eyes at Navi's cheerful yet sarcastic attitude and turned to Jak with a gleam in his electric blue eyes. "This ought to be fun."

The engines roared into life, sending the familiar hum of Light Energy and Sky Engines into the air. The black sails above him rippled like a dark ocean as they unfolded. The sails were for yawing while the engines controlled the pitch and speed. With a shuddering lurch, the_ Courage _pulled out of the building, sending loose concrete falling to the crashing waves below and dousing them all in cold rain.

"Ready aft to fire!" one of the pirates on the deck shouted, crashing his train of thought. "Two ships inbound! And they don't look very friendly!"

Link turned to look out into the torrential rain and lightning storm. Two ships with black sails and white hulls with golden diamonds along the sides were closing in fast. '_Oh damn. This is going to be bad,' _Link thought, panic lacing his mind.

"Navi!" he yelled over the storm. "Any possibility we could have a warp gate happening soon?"

Navi growled, glowing a deep red, obviously working hard. "Shut up, captain, I'm working on it! I'm still waiting for Wrench to get the Energy Rods inserted for the necessary power!"

Link whipped around to look at the two approaching ships and, much to his dismay, they were opening their cannon ports. "Um, Navi? Wanna hurry it up over there?"

Before she could respond, an enormous explosion sounded through the air as fourteen of _Courage's _cannons fired, rocking it to the side slightly. Plumes of smoke billowed from the cannon ports as the cannonballs soared through the air, giving off a whistling sound. A few seconds of silence passed until there was a crash and an explosion of wood on one of the approaching ships. Two of their masts went down, the sound of wood cracking and splintering as the two poles fell down to the sea. The other ship's crew cried, alarmed, as it dropped below the cloud line, smoke pouring heavily from the stern and port side. It seemed Wrench didn't wait for Link to give the firing order.

"Captain! Warp gate imminent!" Navi shouted in triumph.

A kaleidoscope of colours assaulted Link's eyes as it floated in the air in front of them, shifting and glowing brighter. It opened up to reveal a dark hole filled with purples, blacks and dark blues, ringed with the rainbow of colours.

"Here we go!" Navi yelled.

Link squeezed his eyes shut against the light. Another explosion of cannon fire sounded from the other ship.

Time froze.

Then there was a _whoosh_, as if someone had blown in his ear. The _Courage _was swallowed by the dark rift; as were the approaching cannonballs.

* * *

**So there's chapter one. ****In your review, (assuming you'll leave one) please tell me if this is worth continuing or not because, this just came from a weird idea I had one night. ****I'm going to go get some much-needed rest and upload this thing tomorrow.**

**Hope you liked it, remember to leave a review.**

**Until next time,**

**-ScooterJLM**


	2. Koholint

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or Nintendo.**

**Shout Outs: Amber, Blahblahblaj and REDBLADE23 who reviewed last chapter. (I'm sorry Guest for not including you but you need a name. But you're still awesome for reviewing.) Thanks for the encouragement guys!**

**R&R.**

**REVISED AND EDITED: 16/07/2013  
**

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Chapter Two: Koholint

The Courage emerged from warp a smoking mess. Black smoke rose from the stern, giving Link the impression that the engines had been blown out and were about to fail. Navi's next shout confirmed his suspicion. "Captain! Engines are going critical! They won't last for long!" she shouted, her previous red glow gone to be replaced by her usual pale blue.

"See what you can do about it! Just keep this ship upright!" Link yelled back. As he did, the ship shuddered then lurched causing Link and Jak to fall forward onto a few luckily tied down barrels.

Even with Navi doing her best to keep them in the air, they were plummeting; fast. What started out as a 90-degree angle fall, was steadily turning into a very steep drop towards the waters below. '_Well,'_ Link thought while clutching onto the barrels, '_at least it isn't raining anymore.'_

Navi appeared next to him, grasping the barrels with her little fairy arms. "Brace for impact!" she yelled, her voice broadcasting throughout the ship.

"Three, two, one!"

Water exploded all around them as the _Courage _smacked into the sea at an angle, drenching Link, Jak, and the tiny figure of Navi down to the bone. The ship rocked violently on the water, on the verge of tipping over sideways. Cargo and crewmen alike were quickly sliding towards the railings on the port side. Link didn't have time to see if any of his men were thrown overboard, as he was quickly losing the grip he had on the slick rope that was keeping the barrels tied down.

With a mental smack on the forehead, Link remembered his Hookshot. Link fumbled one-handed with the rope keeping the Hookshot tied to his belt and brought it up to aim at the railing Jak was already hanging from.

Link noticed that Jak had a firm grip with his Hookshot on the higher railing and was standing on the side of the barrels, but Navi was nowhere to be seen. '_Lucky fairies, with their wings,' _he thought bitterly. While Link thought this, he noticed, much to his dismay, that he was quickly losing his grip. He was hanging by his fingers, seconds from falling; and those seconds were up. Link yelled as he started sliding down the slippery deck.

"Link!" Jak yelled.

Link brought up his Hookshot to fire but his arm was smacked aside by the mast pole from which the sails hung from in the middle of the deck. He squeezed the trigger again, watching with panicked eyes as it shot through the air towards the railing. The small wooden thunk of the sounded like music to his ears.

He screamed in pain as his arm was nearly wrenched out of its socket when he came to a sudden stop. Link hung there a moment and was surprised to feel solid wood beneath his feet.

He looked down to see the railing's deck below him. '_Thank the Goddesses. That was too close. Another second and I'd be Gyorg food,' _Link thought, blessing the people who made Hookshots and trying not to think of the cold-blooded predatory animals in the water. He thought again for a moment, then, '_Maybe I should become a religious man, 'cause I'm thanking the Goddesses a lot.'_

He didn't spend another moment thinking. He once again realized that the ship was precariously balanced, almost completely on its side and, while it was stable for the moment, it wouldn't be for much longer.

"Link!" Link craned his neck to barely see Jak, looking down to him with a worried expression. "You alright?" his young friend asked.

Link half-laughed, half-sighed, as he turned and leaned against the deck with his eyes closed. "Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine! Be up there in a second!"

Link gathered his remaining strength and gripped the chain, leaving the firing device behind. He planted his feet wide on the deck and began an awkward walk up towards Jak. Seeing this, Jak wrapped the chain around his wrist and pulled, and they repeated this until Link was halfway up. They would have continued, but Link felt the vertical deck under his feet shift slightly. Link froze.

"Um, Jak? Did you feel that?" Link asked looking around.

"Oh yeah!"

Link and Jak locked eyes for a few seconds before they both yelled simultaneously, "Hurry!"

Link shuffled as fast as he could up the slick deck, and with Jak pulling it went considerably faster. The ship was slowly tipping over into the water. _'__Oh crap this is gonna end bad!'_

By the time Link made it to the top, the ship was completely on its side.

"Link," Jak said, holding his arm out. "Give me your hand."

Link let go of the chain with one hand and grabbed Jak's forearm in one quick movement. Joining Jak on the barrels, he peered over the edge.

"Well this certainly is an interesting predicament," Jak muttered under his breath. "Why aren't the stabilizers kicking in?" Link had no answer to his friend's question.

Normally, if a ship was tipping over or leaning without a navigator telling it to, a system of stabilizers would reorient the ship. "They were probably damaged when we were hit," Link answered, searching the air around them for Navi.

Seeing no sign of her, Link tapped his earpiece and said, "Wrench? You on this frequency?"

The small radio crackled in his ear before his chief mechanic's voice came through. "Aye, captain. What the bloody hell is going on? Everything's all topsy-turvy down here!"

"There's a problem with the ship's stabilizers. They must have been damaged in the crash or when we were hit. See if you can get them back online, will ya?" Link commanded, deciding that there was nothing he and Jak could do for the moment.

"Aye, captain, I'll get right on it."There was some distant shouting from Wrench's side before it cut out.

"Let's just hope Wrench can actually fix them," Jak said, turning to his captain.

Link smirked. "I've got faith in him. He'll do it."

"Captain? I've reached the stabilizer room, and there doesn't seem to be any physical damage to the system itself; I think a power conduit was severed. I'll see about rerouting the power."

The ship shuddered again, making Link wince. "Want to go a little faster there?" Link asked, hoping his mechanic could repair the system in time. "We don't have all day."

"I'm going as fast as I can go, captain. Any faster and I might short it out. I need to make sure I don't - ow! Son of a-"Link heard the sound of sparks before a loud humming came from the bowels of the ship, the ship ever so slowly beginning to right itself. "Ha! Got it!"

Link and Jak laughed as the ship's reorienting picked up speed, and soon enough, _Courage_ was stable again. A large splash threw water up onto the deck, soaking Link and Jak even more, silencing their laughs. The two of them simply laid down on the watery deck, exhausted.

Link sat up on his elbows, coughed out a bit of water then looked over to Jak. "Well," he said, then paused for a moment. "That was fun."

Link coughed some more, then dropped back down on to the deck as Jak said, "Yeah, I guess so. At least we're still alive."

Link sat back up with a frown on his face as he looked over to Jak. "There's still one problem though."

"Yeah, what's that?"

Link thought. Then, "There's a hole in my hat."

* * *

After getting a few hours of rest and another hat from his captain's quarters, Link found himself on the overturned engineering deck.

"Wrench!" Link yelled over the clamor of the crew. There was no response. "Hey! Wrench!"

Wrench heard him and looked up from the blueprints he was looking over. He made his way through the small crowd. "Captain?"

"How're the repairs coming?"

He sighed and pushed his goggles further up his head, revealing his green irises. Wrench rubbed the bridge of nose and put a hand on his hip. "Not good, captain. Really not good. The engines are shot, literally, so we're gonna need replacement parts, but the warp drive is fixable without new parts. And the lower decks are flooded. We're not going anywhere anytime soon."

"Damn," Link swore. He thought for a moment. "Okay, there's an island nearby isn't there? Maybe they have the parts we need."

The mechanic shrugged. "It's worth a try."

"Right. While we're looking for parts, you fix things as best you can, unflood the lower decks, all that."

"Aye, captain, I'll get right on it."

Link nodded, then clapped Wrench on the shoulder before turning to go.

"Captain," Wrench said behind him.

Link turned around. "Yeah?"

"You have no idea what to get, do you?"

"Nope."

After getting a list of parts from Wrench, Link went off to find where his flaming-haired friend had gone to. He searched the ship until he stopped at the mess hall. Well, it wasn't really a hall, more of a big room that they used for eating. Naturally, Link found Jak scarfing down a few cucco legs.

"Jak, how can you eat right now?" Link asked him as soon as he caught sight of him. "We almost died and I find you munching on a cucco leg."

"So? There are lots of other people..." Jak stopped when he realised nobody else was in the room. "Oh. Yeah, well, I'm hungry," Jak said through a mouthful of of the cooked bird.

"Whatever," Link said, rolling his eyes. He then slapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, Wrench gave me a list of parts we need. And there's an island nearby. I'm gonna go check it out."

Jak looked up briefly to say, "Yeah? So?"

Link smacked his friend on the back of the head, causing him to drop his food. "You know what I mean." Then, while leaving he called to a stunned Jak behind him, "Loftwing hanger. Five minutes. Bring a bag."

Five minutes later, Link found himself in the Loftwing hangar, which was, thankfully, still in one piece after the crash. He had a bolt shooter belt tied around his waist, a Hookshot tied to his belt, a large piece of cloth with a phoenix insignia (the people he stole it from called it a parachute but Link preferred to call it a sailcloth) tucked under the sword belt and a sword strapped to his back, he stood there feeding Crimson an apple. He was a fine bird; except for the long scar running from his temple, across its left eye, ending at its beak. '_Damn Kargoroks...' _Link thought angrily, cursing the predatory birds.

The hangar was the lowest deck but, thankfully, one of the few that wasn't flooded. The hangar had two levels with ten Loftwing pens on each. The birds must have had a rough time in there when the ship almost flipped. On a normal day, when they weren't crashed in an ocean and when they were in the air, the giant doors on the bottom of the ship would open and they would drop out, but for days like today, they had side doors.

"All right, captain," Link heard Jak mumble behind him. He turned to see Jak standing there with a large backpack slung over his shoulder. "Let's get this over with."

"Don't sound so bored. That's an order," Link said, trying to be serious, but his smile undermined him. "Now c'mon, mount up."

Link swung himself up on to Crimson and shifted around in the saddle until he was comfortable, then watched as Jak walked over to his Loftwing, a jet black bird with streaks of blue along its sides, named Raxion.

Realising he still had a half-eaten apple in his hand, Link quickly tossed it to the ground before he tapped his earpiece and said, "Wrench, you on this channel? We need the starboard hangar doors open."

His earpiece crackled, then Wrench's voice sounded on the other end. "Aye, captain, opening starboard doors."

Link and Jak sat there on their Loftwings for a few moments, until there was rusty grinding sound behind them. They reined their birds around and saw the early night's moon come into view.

Link tapped his radio again saying, "Wrench, you hold the fort and repair things best you can, and we'll be back by the morning or afternoon, tops.

"All right captain, happy hunting."

Link looked over to Jak, nodded and kicked his Loftwing's sides with a, "Hyaah!"

Crimson arched his neck and screeched, flapped his wings, then pushed off, bringing Link with him as he flew out the hangar doors. Wind whipped at Link's body as Crimson swooped back and forth over the water. Link looked over his shoulder at Jak who had a wide grin plastered over his face while looking like he was having the time of his life. Link rolled his eyes and turned to face the island again.

It looked quite beautiful actually; the island was surrounded by calm water and was silhouetted against the early night's moon, while far-off lights shone from houses close to the dense forest.

"Hey Link!" Jak's yell penetrated Link's thoughts as he turned to see Jak doing a handstand on his Loftwing's saddle. "Beat this!" Link smiled and thought, '_Damn Sheikah training...'__  
_

Link waited until Jak sat upright then did a trick of his own. He kicked Crimson skywards and waited until he was at a safe altitude, patted his bird on the neck, then rolled off. The wind whistled in his ears as he flipped and twisted around in the air until he was seconds from hitting the water.

A small worm of panic inched its way into his stomach as he swiftly whistled and, within moments of hitting water, Crimson swooped down and caught him, skimming the sea with his talons. Link winced from the freezing water that splashed on to his leg before he returned to a higher altitude. He looked over his shoulder with a large smirk covering his face. "How about that?"

Jak rolled his eyes and yelled back, "Yeah right! You do that every time! Do something original!"

"Fine! You want original?" Link shouted before thinking, '_Here's something original.'_

Link thought for a moment before he had an idea. He kicked Crimson into a dive, pulled him back up to gain speed, then, while gaining altitude, grabbed the saddle horn with both hands and leaned forward while bringing his legs upwards. Crimson lost momentum letting Link fall back into the saddle with a thump. Link turned around with wide smile, expecting to see Jak there with a surprised expression but instead of seeing his friend atop Raxion, he saw nothing but the shadow of their ship.

_'Where'd you go no-' "_Ah!" Link couldn't help but yell as Jak swooped down beside him. It seemed Crimson had a similar reaction as his rider, and almost knocked him from the saddle as he screeched and rolled away. Jak's laughter sounded in the night as he pulled up beside him.

If the expression on Link's face could kill, Jak would be dead. Jak saw his expression and said, "Aw, come on, captain, just having some fun. Anyway, look, we're here."

Jak pointed down to the small forested island they were soaring over. Link pulled Crimson's reins to the right, circled back to land, and rolled off, seeing Jak do the same. Link pulled his sailcloth from his back and held it over his head, feeling himself slow down considerably. He touched down lightly next to Jak, just outside the village. Both of them tucked their sailcloths away and looked at their surroundings.

The village was oddly quiet as they started towards the cluster of houses. As the two pirates came closer they could hear a conversation from

Beside him, Jak called out, "Hello? Anyone there?"

Two figures stepped out from behind a nearby house, coming into the light. One was a middle-aged man wearing a straw hat, his bushy brown eyebrows shadowing his brown eyes. The other was a young woman with long, bright red hair, her eyes a shining blue. Their ears weren't pointed, so they weren't Hylian, that was for sure. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" the man asked, stepping in front of his daughter protectively. "I've not seen your faces here before."

Link and Jak looked at each other then turned back to the pair of villagers. "I am Captain Link Hylia and this is my friend Jak Fargo. As to what we're doing here, our ship crashed and we need parts to fix it."

"I see," the man said. Though he relaxed his defensive stance, the suspicion did not leave his eyes. "I am Tarin and this is my daughter Marin. Welcome to Koholint Island."

"Koholint Island, huh? Whereabouts are we?" Link asked.

"The Northern Celestian Sea."

Jak glanced around at the empty streets and asked, "So where is everyone?"

"They're most likely in their homes or at the tavern. Almost everyone gathers to hear Zelda's tales."

Link and Jak looked at each other, thinking the same thing. _'No way. What would royalty be doing out here?' _Link shook his head. She was probably named after the Princess; it wasn't uncommon nowadays._  
_

_'Well, it's obvious nobody is going be selling parts at this time of night,' _Link thought, _'might as well try the tavern.'_

"Please," Link said, holding his arm out, "lead the way."

A tough but feminine voice greeted Link and Jak's ears as they stepped into the tavern, a small place named The One-Eyed Man. A rickety sign hung from a post over the doorway, depicting a man with a empty eye socket and trail of blood running down his cheek. "So I knocked out the guards and I turned to the boss man and I says 'if you were thirty pounds lighter, you'd look like a Moblin!'"

Raucous laughter mixed with drunken shouting filled the air as Link closed the door behind them. The door made a loud clack, causing everyone in the small room to turn and face them, an awkward silence filling the air.

Tentatively, Jak said, "Um, hey?"

A collective muttering spread over the crowd as they returned to their tables, drinks in their hands. With the crowd gone, Link turned to see the most breathtaking woman he'd ever seen. She leaned back in her chair with a frothy mug in her hand, occasionally taking swigs from it.

She had such dark blue eyes they were almost violet, shoulder-length brown hair and a face that he could have believed was crafted by the Goddesses themselves. She was... perfect.

She saw him eyeing her and scoffed returning her attention to her drink. Link dropped his gaze and rubbed the back of his neck, earning a laugh from Jak. "C'mon, captain, remember why we're here," Jak said, dragging him over to the counter with a smile on his face.

Link coughed into his fist as he sat down at the bar and replied, "Right, right..." He found his eyes drawn to — no _dragged _to — who he assumed was Zelda. Jak's barely concealed snicker brought his attention back to the bar. "Oh, shut it."

Their conversation stopped as the bartender stepped up to them behind the counter, a rag and a shot glass in hand. "Hey there stranger, what's yer poison?" the man asked gruffly, leaning onto the bar.

It had been a long time since they've had a drink as they needed the money for other things, so Link thought back to the night he had bought _Courage _and was celebrating with his new crew. What was he drinking again...?

Jak didn't offer any suggestions, so he drew from his pocket a yellow rupee and said, "Two mugs of whatever she's having," Link said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.

* * *

"Hey! Hey, Link! Remember the time we did the tricks on the Loft, _hic, _Loftwings?"

That beer was strong stuff. Link was only done with his first mug and was already starting to feel fuzzy. Jak was obviously worse since he was only nineteen, and had already downed three mugs. Link looked back over to Zelda for the umpteenth time to see she was apparently deep in thought. She shifted in her chair and noticed him staring. For a moment, blue eyes locked with violet. He quickly looked away, trying to focus on his drink.

A few hours had passed from when they first sat down, Jak getting a little too hooked on his drink. Link reminded himself to tell the bartender to stop giving Jak drinks so he wouldn't pass out.

Link sighed and answered Jak's question for the third time. "Yeah, Jak. That was a few hours ago, remember?"

Link tried to push Zelda out of his mind; that proved impossible as a dagger pressed against his throat and her voice sounded in his ear. "Who are you? Why do you keep looking at me?" she asked, her tone threatening.

Link looked to Jak for help, but he was busy bothering the bartender. He swallowed nervously and answered, "Captain Link."

"Link," she muttered. "Hm... Sounds familiar. Why are you watching me?" she repeated. She dropped her voice to a near whisper. "Did Queen Tetra hire you?" He noticed the way she spat out the word Queen.

A thousand questions raced through Link's mind, the most prominent one being why she thought he worked for the Queen._  
_

"Lady, I don't work for the Queen. My ship crashed and we need parts to repair the engines."

Wordless, the mysterious woman withdrew her dagger and returned to her seat, not so much as looking at Link again. Link rubbed his throat where her dagger had cut him. '_What the hell was that?'_

Feeling like he'd be safer elsewhere, Link called the bartender over and asked him if there were any rooms available. "Sure, they're upstairs," he answered, indicating a staircase in the corner. He grabbed Jak by the arm and turned to go, but the bartender stopped him. "Hold up, rooms are thirty rupees a night. The last door on the right has two beds."

Link dropped the necessary rupees onto the bar and dragged Jak over to the stairs. He continued to drag Jak up the stairs and entered a room at the end of the upstairs hall. Lanterns sat on nightstands next to beds opposite each other. Link pushed a now unconscious Jak into a bed, sighing at the sight of his friend's drunken state. Link started to his bed but stopped, remembering the dagger-wielding Zelda downstairs. With that in mind, he turned and locked the door, moving for his bed once again.

* * *

**Hope you liked it, remember to leave a review.**

**Until next time,**

**-ScooterJLM**


	3. Activated

***Spit-take* What are you doing here? Oh yeah, right...**

**I'm so sorry for the wait, I just didn't feel like writing these last couple of weeks. However, It is longer (I think) because I had a sudden burst of energy and was like, "I must write!"**

**A shout out to: ZeldaRubix, who I never imagined would read this, being my favourite author and all. I recommend you check her storys out. (Especially, How Zelda Got Her Groove Back.)**

**Thank you all for reviewing; you made my day. :)**

**Here's chapter three. R&R.**

**P.S. I've come to realize 'Enjoy and R&R' doesn't work, so I changed it. **

* * *

Chapter Three: Secrets Revealed

_Aw no, not again! _the ten-year old Link screamed in his mind.

Dusk was falling as Mido and his friends chased him through the forest, their taunts echoing through the trees, ringing in his ears. He smashed through branches and leaves, his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

A root appeared from nowhere sending him crashing through the foliage, where he lay in a pained heap on the forest floor. A moan of pain escaped his lips as he held his wrist; each time he touched it, it would send a shooting pain up his arm but not his hand.

The sound of menacing laughter boomed in the forest as Link dragged himself away, trying to regain his footing. A foot pounded on his back forcing him to the ground, splattering mud all over his front.

A mocking voice rang in his ears as he blinked away tears. "Awww, poor Link can't even speak or get himself off the ground, how _pathetic_!" He punctuated the last word with another stomp on his back.

Link turned his head and put all his hatred into the glare he gave Mido. _You slinthead! Leave me alone!_ He so badly wanted to scream these words, but all that came out was a hoarse rasp.

That earned a big laugh from Mido and his friends.

With a sudden burst of strength Link jumped up, ignoring the pain in his arm and slammed into Mido, knocking him to the ground with Link on top.

Tears in his eyes, Link pushed down on Mido's chest and poured all his rage into his punches, staining the bully's face red with blood from his now broken nose.

It didn't last long as Hermano and Goyle pummeled him, shoving him off Mido, kicking and punching him until his whole body was sore.

After what seemed like minutes the rain of blows finally stopped, leaving a trembling Link in the mud. "Lets go guys, leave him to cry like the little baby he is."

One last kick landed in his stomach, making him gag and gasp for air. And then they were gone. He lay there for who knows how long.

Finally, Link dragged himself over to a tree and leaned against it, cradling his broken wrist.

And he cried.

**!**

Sunlight fell through the windows, illuminating the dancing particles of dust as they swirled with every one of Link's deep breaths. Link snorted and inched his eyes open but instantly closed them against the light.

"Ahhh, Goddesses my head hurts," Link muttered.

Slowly, as to not hurt his eyes, he opened his eyelids and realized it must be his hangover making the light so bright. _Only one mug and I have that bad a hangover? They seriously need to weaken that beer._

Link turned on to his back and peered over his feet to see Jak facedown, snoring loudly. He sighed and flopped back down, suddenly remembering his dream. He wondered why he had dreamed about that particular moment. _Well at least I can talk now. Damn that sickness._

From the moment he was born he couldn't speak. But as the years went by, he got stronger than Mido and he never bullied him again. Then, by the time he was seven-teen he could speak perfectly.

Link snapped out of his reverie and focused on finding a way to get Jak out of bed.

After washing his face and hair, he found himself standing over Jak with a bucket full of freezing cold water. _This will be fun._

With a wide grin on his face, Link overturned the bucket on his friends head.

Jak sat straight up, gasping and spluttering, muttering something incoherently as his eyes frantically swept over the room. He spat out a large amount of water and regarded Link with an angry glare.

Link looked down at him with the same grin. "Feel better?"

**!**

It was midday as they trodded through the streets, intent on going back to the _Courage. _But instead of returning with the replacement parts, they were leaving empty-handed.

"Ah Goddesses. I feel terrible," Jak groaned as they walked down to the coast.

"Yeah, well, too bad. I would've thought you'd be a _little_ disheartened at the fact, that these people don't have the parts we need."

"I am, I am," Jak said assuredly, "it's just that my head feels like it's going to explode."

Link rolled his eyes and they continued their walk in silence.

While they walked down the streets, Link thought about the mysterious violet-eyed woman. _Zelda... Why does that name seem so familiar to me? And why did she ask me if I worked for Queen Tetra?_

Link had always focused on taking care of himself and his crew, so he had never taken much interest in politics. But he did know that Queen Tetra was from the far-off country of Dragon Roost.

Normally, people wouldn't call an island in the middle of the ocean a country but when King Daphnes re-married to Tetra, he declared that Dragon Roost become a separate country.

When the Queen came to Hyrule she brought with her a daughter named Keira. _Didn't the King have a daughter too? What was her name again?_

Link's thought process came to an end when they stopped at the docks, seeing a few people fishing, huddled in small groups talking or just milling about.

Simultaneously, Link and Jak put their fingers to their lips and whistled. Two screeches sounded in the air almost instantly; they looked to the sky to see Raxion and Crimson circling overhead. The birds dived and flapped their wings to slow themselves before hitting the ground.

Without a word they mounted and took to the air. The trip was quiet as Link thought more about Zelda and, more importantly, how they were going to get back to Hyrule. The hangar doors slammed shut as they entered.

Jak jumped off Raxion and said goodbye to Link as he walked out of the hanger.

As Link dismounted, his earpiece crackled into life and Wrench's voice sounded on the other end. "_Captain; did you find the parts we need?"_

With a sigh he replied, "No Wrench. It seems these people don't have what we need."

"_Are you sure?_" the mechanic asked.

"Yeah I'm pretty sure. We checked with everybody that could have had the parts we needed," Link said sadly.

"_I see. Not that it matters much now, but we got the warp drive back up and running, and we managed to flush out the water on the lower decks."_

_You're right Wrench, it doesn't matter at all. _Instead of that he said, "Got it Wrench. I'm gonna go off radio for a while and go to my quarters for now."

"_Aye cappin'. See you in a few hours."_

Link slipped off his earpiece and tucked it into his pocket. With a heavy heart, he made his way through the ship finally stopping at the door to his quarters. Inside, he immediately shrugged off his sword and bolt shooter belts and lit the lantern next to the door.

Link sighed and turned to his bed. What he wasn't expecting was a crate. And even more unexpected was the violet-eyed woman sitting on top of it.

Zelda.

**!**

He needed to have a word with Wrench about the security of his ship.

Sword raised, he demanded, "What are you doing here?"

She merely raised her eyebrows at his sword and shrugged. "You need parts don't you?" She kicked the crate with her heel. "I got 'em."

For a moment, Link lowered his guard but quickly corrected himself, remembering the other night. "Why should I trust you? Last night you put a dagger to my throat!"

Zelda sighed and lowered her head and said, "I'm sorry; I truly am. But if you're willing; I'll strike a bargain with you."

Link bit his bottom lip but didn't lower his sword. "Go on."

She paused before muttering something in a strange language under her breath. She looked back up. "Okay. The way I see it you're the only way for me to get off Gyle Island and I'm the only way for you to repair your ship."

Link stayed silent. He just stared at her, contemplating her offer. Finally he broke heavy silence. "Fine."

Zelda smiled and extended a gloved hand. "Shake on it?"

Link nodded and took her hand.

That's when it happened.

When he grasped her hand, an electric current shot through his body. Link recoiled and held his numbed hand. He stared at Zelda as she did the same.

Link could have swore he saw a golden light flash under one of her gloves. _ No, must have been a trick of light._

"What the hell was that?" Link asked incredulous.

Zelda seemed to have the same reaction. "I..." she trailed, "I don't know."

Suddenly, Zelda shot to her feet and crossed the short distance between them to grab his arm then stared at his hand intently; turning it over in her hands.

Finally she stopped and was just looking at the back of his right hand. She rubbed her thumb over it's back and he felt the same electric shock albeit a bit weakened.

"Great Farore," she muttered.

Confused, he snatched his hand away and snapped at her, "What are you doing? What was that?"

"Electrical current passing between our two pieces it seems," she divulged calmly, more to herself than Link.

"Excuse me?"

Zelda shook her head and waved him off. "Nothing."

Finally having enough of the wierd events, he retrieved his radio from his pocket and slipped it on to his ear. "Jak; send Wrench and a security team to my quarters."

Zelda whipped around. "What?" she shouted, starting towards him.

Link brought his sword up between them. "Hey, I said you could come with us but I didn't say _how _you'd be coming with us."

Before Zelda could reply, the door behind them burst open to reveal Jak, Wrench and two other crew members.

_That was fast, _Link thought impressed.

Jak raised his eyebrows and asked, "What is _she_ doing here?"

Link ignored Jak's question and addressed the two guards. "Get her out of here," he said, jerking his thumb towards the door.

The two men nodded and moved towards Zelda; she brought up her dagger, but they quickly restrained her with hand-cuffs.

As they led her out, she stared daggers at Link yet he stood his ground. Once she was gone, Jak gave Link a strange look before leaving without a word.

Wrench walked over and asked, "That was... Interesting." Wrench shook his head before nodding towards the crate. "What's in the box?"

Link slapped him on the arm before saying, "Parts."

**!**

Link found himself in his quarters reading an old book about Hylian legends, trying to pass the time while Wrench and his team fixed the warp and engines. He flipped through the pages until a title caught his eye: **~The Hero's Of Old~**

His interest sparked, Link started to read the page.

_Thousands of years ago, there was a line of Heros who were said to be infused with the blood of the Goddesses themselves. In their lives they accomplished many great things. All of them were separate beings but some believed their body died but their spirit was passed on._

_No matter what, one thing stayed the same: all the Heros had abnormally short lives. Not many lived to see their 26th year. The people of those eras took great care to record the feats of their saviors lives, but much was lost. This is what our archaeologists have been able to recover so far._

_**Hero of Sky: **__Long ago, yet a short time after the Goddesses created the planet Hylia, an island was set into the sky. The people who lived there believed that once you come of age, you are to be knighted. After being knighted, the Hero of Sky lost a dear friend and he set out to find her._

A sharp but short-lived pain erupted in his right hand as he read. Link set the book down to see what had caused it. There was no spider bite or mark of any kind. Link shrugged and continued reading.

_With the help of the spirit trapped inside the legendary Master Sword, he travelled to the unknown world beneath the clouds. When he arrived, he discovered the world was falling into chaos. The spirit helping him, he fought tooth and nail until he finally restored the troubled land._

_The evil's source taking notice of his victory, showed itself and began an epic battle between good and evil. The evil was strong but with the Goddesses power and the Hero's blood, he defeated it, trapping it inside the Master Sword._

_With peace restored, a golden era began._

_Hero of Sky, huh? Sounds like me, _Link thought as he read.

_After a thousand years of peace, the golden era soon ended as the ancient evil found a way to escape its holy prison and wreak havoc upon the land. From the ashes of destruction, a new Hero was born._

_**Hero of Time: **__The Hero of Time started his journey as a chi-_

"_Captain!_" Wrench's voice exploded in his ear, making the book jump from his grasp.

He closed his eyes, slowly blowing out a gust of air and tapped his earpiece. "Yeah Wrench?"

"_Captain I think we did it! We fixed the engines!_"

_Finally, some good news! _"Are you sure?"

"_Completely,_" Wrench confirmed.

Link jumped to his feet and whipped open the door, the bright afternoon sun temporarily blinding him. After his vision cleared he tapped his radio and said to Wrench, "Okay. Fire her up."

"_Roger that captain._"

A few seconds passed where Link doubted Wrench's repairs. But soon enough, the engines stuttered and rumbled before blaring into life, sending the familiar hum of Energy Rods and Sky Engines through the air.

A collective cheer went up from the crew on the deck as the _Courage _made an unsteady ascent into the clouds. Soon enough, the _Courage _was seated atop the clouds, where it belonged.

_I guess Wrench and his team are going to get a party tonight, _Link thought happily.

His mood darkened slightly when he remembered the beautiful prisoner in the hold.

Now that they weren't stranded; it was time to get some answers.

**!**

His footsteps echoed slightly as he made his way through the hold toward the cells. He came upon Zelda's cell and saw her sitting in a rickety old chair, her face in her hands.

He drummed his fingers on the bars and waited until she looked up before unlocking the door and stepping in. Link sat himself opposite Zelda and stared into her eyes for a few minutes. Eventually he broke the silence.

"Talk," he said simply, knowing she probably wasn't one to crumble under hard interrogation.

Zelda sat back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. She yawned and stretched before saying, "This cell could really use a mattress you know."

Link stared at her, silent.

"Fine," she said, a hint of resignation in her voice, "what do you want to know?"

Link raised his right hand but stayed silent.

"What's with you and silence?" she asked uneasily.

"I ask the questions," he said firmly, tired of her secretive nature.

"Jeez you're uptight. Okay..." she trailed, "ah man... How do I say this without sounding crazy?"

Maybe it was her putting a dagger to his throat.

Maybe it was her evasive way of saying things.

Either way, Link had enough. He jumped forward in his chair, pointed at her and yelled, "Spit it out!"

It seemed Zelda had enough of his demanding. She threw her hands up and shot back, "You have a piece of the Triforce! Alright? There you go, I said it!"

Link sat back in his chair, a bit taken aback at her sudden outburst. "Triforce? What the hell is that?"

Zelda looked at him, shocked. "You mean you don't know?"

"No I don't know. Pretty sure nobody on this ship knows about it either," he said, leaning forward slightly.

Zelda looked puzzled and slightly annoyed, while she muttered, "I guess only the Family had access to the knowledge."

Link looked at her confused. "What Family? What knowledge?"

Zelda looked up at him.

"The Triforce is the greatest gift of the Goddesses. From the absence of your-" She tugged off her glove, "mark, and the reaction I got from your hand; I'd say I just activated it. It must have been dormant until my piece," she held up her hand and Link found the golden light he had seen _wasn't _a trick of the light, "transferred enough energy to awaken it. Soon I think we'll be seeing it manifest itself, and we'll find out if you have the Triforce of Courage or Power."

Zelda then smiled and looked down slightly. "Just didn't think it would be given to a pirate."

Link sat back again and stayed silent for a moment.

Moments turned to seconds and seconds turned to minutes until Link finally said, "Wow. You were right." Zelda looked at him, a puzzled expression on her face. "You are crazy."

Link stood and turned to go, but a hand on his shoulder halted him.

"Link," she said softly, "please believe me. And if you don't; well..." she trailed, "you'll see soon enough."

Quiet as a poe, Link left the room, leaving Zelda to wonder whether he believed her or not.

Most likely the latter.

**!**

The next few days went by in a blur as everyone was putting the ship back into working order and celebrating the repaired engines. They set a course to Hyrule with the newly found Navi.

The journey would be slow as they avoided using the warp drive until Wrench was absolutely sure it wouldn't overload.

Link carried on thinking nothing of Zelda's strange words.

Yet, Link was starting to notice subtle changes in himself. He seemed to be faster, stronger, even a bit taller, but above all, was the bruise beginning to form on his right hand.

With the newfound mark, came a pain unlike he had ever endured.

Link lay in his quarters, (which he seemed to be doing a lot of recently) trying not to cry out from the pain his body was going through. It felt as though someone was pressing hundreds of white-hot pokers to the back of his hand.

Link lay on his bed, writhing from the pain. He held his hand as he squeezed his eyes shut, ready to let a scream as the pain exploded, stronger than ever.

Then, the unexpected happened.

It stopped.

Just like that, the pain abruptly stopped.

All of a sudden the pain was gone. Surprised, Link lay there for minutes gasping for air until he finally pried his eyes open. Link lifted his hand to see a perfectly formed mark, almost identical to Zelda's.

The mark formed a triangle split into four more little triangles with the middle one upside-down. Without the golden glow that Zelda had showed him, it just sat there on his hand being a dark purple.

"This...this is unreal," Link whispered to himself.

Link sat there, just staring at his hand until he finally realized Zelda was right. Link jumped up pulled on a pair of gloves and made his way to the door.

Link found himself in the hold, making his way to Zelda's' cell and when he reached her, Zelda was sound asleep, curled up on the floor.

Despite him locking her in a cell; she hadn't tried to escape. During the short bursts of clear thinking he had over the last couple of days, Link considered letting her roam around the ship.

Making up his mind, Link retrieved his keys and went to open the door. His hand froze once he heard her muttering in her sleep.

It was that strange language again. Without realizing it, he found himself understanding a few words here and there. Link shook his head, thinking she was speaking normal Hylian mixed with that wierd language.

Remembering why he was there, Link once again drummed his fingers on the bars.

Zelda awoke with a start as he entered, and gave Link a puzzled expression as she noticed the open door he left behind.

Link sighed and sat down in front of her. "Zelda..." he trailed, "it looks like; I owe you an apology."

To show he meant it, Link peeled off his glove and held up his hand; but this time it wasn't the bruise-coloured purple, it was pulsing gold. The bottom right triangle seemed brighter than the other two.

Zelda noticed this and divulged, "Courage and Wisdom have always had strong ties to each other."

"Wisdom, huh?" Link asked.

"Yes, I have Nayru's Wisdom. It seems you have Farore's Courage," Zelda explained.

Link shook his head. "Okay, what's with this? What is the Triforce? Why do we have it?" he asked, confused.

"The Triforce is the greatest power; it was formed by the Goddesses when they left this world after creating it three thousand years ago. As to why we have it..." she trailed, "I have no idea."

Link searched Zelda's face for any sign that she was lying; he found none. "Okay... What now?" Link asked, not sure how to proceed.

Zelda rubbed her chin as she thought. Finally she smiled and asked, "Do you know where Ordona Province is?"

"Yeah sure; south of Lanayru Province, why?"

Zelda paused for a moment, then asked, "Do you trust me?"

Surprisingly, he nodded.

She smiled again. _I think I could get used to that, _Link thought happily.

"We need to talk to Faron right away. He'll know what to do," she divulged, already leaving the cell.

"Faron?" Link called after her.

**!**

Link and Zelda emerged on to the main deck to meet Jak at the head of the stairs. Jak eyed Zelda suspiciously as they reached him. "Uh, captain?" he asked uncertainly.

Link didn't break his stride as he replied, "I'll explain later, now c'mon."

Link led Jak and Zelda through the ship until they finally stopped on the engineering deck. They found Wrench under a power conduit, the sounds of a socket wrench meeting their ears.

Link gently kicked Wrench in the leg. "Hey Wrench!"

A resounding clang sounded from the conduit as Link heard Wrench mutter, "Ow..."

Wrench scooted out from under the conduit and pushed his goggles on to his forehead. He gave Zelda a strange expression before he said, "Yes captain?"

"Is the warp drive stable enough to establish a wormhole to Hyrule?"

Wrench looked away from Zelda and got to his feet to ask, "I thought you said we were to take it easy?"

"Yeah well..." I trailed, looking at Zelda, "it's sort of an emergency."

Wrench sighed and asked, "Are you sure captain? I haven't been able to run a diagnostic yet so we could end up anywhere, even space."

Link bit his lip and said, "Just do it alright?"

Wrench pulled his goggles back down over his eyes. "Aye captain."

While leaving, Link called to Wrench behind him, "Contact me on the radio when you're ready."

**!**

A lightning storm was approaching as Link, Jak, and Zelda emerged on to the main deck.

"_Captain? I'm ready to initiate the warp drive. What are the co-ordinates?"_

Link looked to Zelda and replied, "Ordon City."

"_Inputting co-ordinates no-"_ Wrench's words were drowned out by a larger clap of thunder accompanied by a fork of lightning.

Link whipped around to see the dark clouds were much closer. "Are you ready yet Wrench?" he asked uneasily.

The radio was silent for a moment. _"Aye captain."_

"Punch it!"

The kaleidoscope of colours materialized in front of the _Courage_ and opened to the purple hole of warp. Lightning flashed straight towards them.

Time froze.

The lightning hung, suspended in mid-air above them. There was the familiar _whoosh_ in his ear and they were swallowed by the wormhole.

* * *

**In the first chapter I said I was tired of writing about the medieval setting and legends and all that right? Ignore that statement.**

**As you've just read, I've decided to include the legends and all that because without it, it feels like I'm just ripping off Nintendo for their amazing games.**

**You can ignore the next few sentences if you want.**

**This has nothing to do with the story, but I have a suggested book for you guys (in real life); How to tell if your cat is plotting to kill you. It's a hilarious book, filled with topics and illustrations ranging from, 'How to tell if your cat is a raging homosexual' to 'How kittens are plotting to take over the world'. The book is written and drawn by Matthew Inman, a.k.a The Oatmeal. **

**Hope you liked it, remember to leave a review. Until next time.**

**-ScooterJLM**

**P.S. For updates on future chapters, check my profile every once in a while. I will try to keep you guys posted as regularly as possible. (Just look for the bold print.)**


	4. Arrested

**I'd like to thank Pepsi for contributing to this chapter. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have had the energy to stay up until two in the morning writing this thing. Please excuse the pretty sucky start but the Pepsi didn't kick in until later in the chapter. This one is dedicated to my sister, who had her birthday on the fifteenth which is actually when I finished this chapter. You probably realize it's not the fifteenth now, but I wanted to re-read and digest this chapter a of couple time before releasing it.**

**Anyway, chapter four! I have to say that this was a really fun chapter to write. Which might explain how it's the longest chapter yet. I'm sorry for the wait but I needed to get this chapter **_**juuuuust**_** right. I'm also working on another chapter story (all in due time) at the same time. So give me some slack here, will ya?**

**IMPORTANT! IF YOU JUST DISREGARD MY AUTHOR'S NOTES, PLEASE READ THIS PART: Changes galore! I've decided to stop the timestamps and I've also removed the ones from chapters two and three. I've removed the reference to Nayru's Love in chapter one because it messes with the plot later in the story. Speaking about removing things for the plot, I also removed Link's floppy green hat and Shade, Link's sword trainer. (He comes into play later.) But there is still a mention of a sword trainer named Syrio. I've changed the colours of Link's Sky Ship to the hull being black and having black sails, to make it more piratey. The name is still gilded green though. Wrench's eyes are now green and Jak's are now red. I won't reveal the reasoning for this but it will become apparent in later chapters. Much later. :P**

**Why were these things in anyway you ask? It's because this was never meant to be a chapter story. It was originally a oneshot about time-travel or something equally stupid (don't ask), but it seems I overlooked some minor details. (And I didn't have the plot I have now, back then.) So you can go back and read those parts of chapter one, but overall, it doesn't make much of a difference.**

**Just a side note here, but when I re-read the previous chapters, I realized how sucky they were. So I've tried to put some extra effort into improving my writing. (Please tell me in your review if I succeeded or if it's just my regular crap.)**

**A shout out to: Nobody! C'mon people I know there's more than five of you reading this. You! Yeah you! Over in parts of the world where I don't live! Or my neighbour next door! Type a review!**

**R&R.**

**P.S. This Author's Note took up three-quarters of a page. So, um... yeah. *Mutters* Sorry.**

* * *

Chapter Four: Arrested

_It was a strange thing, warp. It was as though you were frozen in place for time eternal yet the journey lasted for no more than a second._ _I have no idea how it works. Thankfully, I have Wrench._

_And Navi I suppose._

_Zelda... Why does her name sound so damn familiar? I've heard that name before, but where? What was it she had said? "Courage and Wisdom have always had strong ties to each other." Strange. I can't believe that I actually bought into this stuff. The Triforce, Courage, Wisdom, Power, "Only the Family has the Knowledge"..._

_Good Goddesses, it sounds like a conspiracy theory. Well, despite my sanity being completely tossed out the window, I trust her completely. I don't know what it is, but I'd put my neck on the line for her. Am I crazy?_

_Yep._

_Now what about Jak? What am I going to tell him? Should I tell him anything? If I don't, he'll know something's up. He's already begun to question Zelda's presense and I haven't given him a single answer. I should take him with me to wherever Zelda's leading us to. But would that help, or make things worse?_

_Who was Zelda talking about when she said we needed to talk to Faron? Faron, Faron, Faron. That name... it... means something to me. But what? Maybe it has something to do with that... ah, what did she call it? Tridorce? Trinorce? Triforce! That was it._

_I wonder if I made the right choice to listen to her in the first place. Maybe I should have just taken the parts, thrown her back to the island and left, no matter how beautiful or in need of help she was. But I wouldn't have anyway. I always say we take from the people who have more than enough, never from someone who has next to nothing, no matter the cost. I may be a pirate but at least I have honor._

_Somewhat._

**!**

_CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAP!_

Wrench was right. That wormhole was way to unstable.

The _Courage _exploded from warp shaking violently, causing crewmen all over the ship to be thrown left and right. Link slid over the deck over and over again until the ship finally leveled out. Coming to a stop, Link lay on the deck until his vision stopped spinning then sat up, running a hand through his dirty blonde hair.

Link blinked his eyes a few times and asked, "Hey, uh, Navi? What in the hell was that!"

Link stood up after getting no response and joined Jak, as he rubbed his eyes. When Link opened them again, he didn't want to believe it.

"Okay..." Jak trailed, as he pointed off the bow. "Either, Ordon has grown a new mountain or the warp wasn't ready yet."

The _Courage _and her crew had come out of warp to find they hadn't gone to Ordon Province. The climate was considerably hotter and brighter than they would have liked and a light shower of gray ash fell from the sky. But above all else was the mountain they were heading straight for.

Link whipped around, searching the deck for the blue ball of light that was his Navigator. "Navi!" he shouted.

Navi flew down from the rigging and landed on Link's shoulder. "Yes, I see that captain, thank you." Glowing red, she yelled, "Hard to starboard!"

The _Courage _lurched to the right, causing everybody on the ship to lose their balance and stagger wildly. It seemed they hadn't turned soon enough, as the bottom of the ship scraped across the jagged rocks. Link, Jak, Zelda and everybody else on the main deck (except Navi of course) went flying forward, the whole ship shuddering.

Link snapped his head up and saw another danger ready for them as they stopped scraping along the rocks. Link picked himself up off the deck and immediately shouted, "Navi! Cut power to the engines!"

Jak, Zelda, and Navi all yelled at the same time, "What?"

Link gave one last look to the giant rock arch ahead of them. "Just do it!"

"Fine! But if we die, it's your fault!"

A few seconds later, the _Courage_ dropped down below the arch and just in time too. The _Courage_'s tallest mast pole scraped the bottom of the arch but continued dropping. "Navi! Re-initiate the engines!"

Link knew it was a long-shot as they just repaired the engines, and they probably wouldn't fire up fast enough, but if they had simply dived, the ship wouldn't have dropped as fast as they did. The engines stuttered and surprisingly, they fired up very quickly.

Just before crashing into the ground, the _Courage _pulled up, barely skimming the bottom of the canyon and clearing the rock arch. The crew on the deck let out a loud cheer but Link quickly quieted them. "Hey! We're not out of the woods yet! We need to clear these mountains!"

After some careful flying, close calls, and even _closer _calls, they broke free of the mountains. Yet Link wasn't sure they were safe.

The _Courage _had come to a stop just outside the mountains as Link wiped the sweat and ash from his forehead and eyes and leaned against the railing. Link was about to turn, go to his quarters and figure out where they were later, when a voice exploded through the sky. "UNIDENTIFIED VESSEL!"

Link jumped and was alarmed to hear the voice but then thought, _Of course. I knew we couldn't be out of this yet._

Link turned around and punched his fist into his palm, when he saw what was approaching the _Courage_. _I knew I should have thrown her overboard._ "UNIDENTIFIED VESSEL! THIS IS NAVIGATOR TATL OF THE ORION-CLASS HYRULEAN WARSHIP _THE AURORA_!"

Link swallowed as Zelda and Jak joined him by the railing, both of them having the same reaction he was having. _Oh dear Goddesses. We. Are. Screwed. Why is there an Orion-Class Warship out here? _Link glanced around then thought,_ Wherever here, is._

Link looked on, slightly admiring the flying steel fortress that hung in the air before them. Instead of the regular civilian sails and wooden deck, she was built like a submarine where the deck wasn't visible. Just covered over with one of the strongest metals known to man; Trinium. It would take Gerudo-class firepower to get through that thing. Nothing like the weak civilian shots they were stocked with.

The voice continued, "STATE YOUR NAME AND PURPOSE HERE!"

Link was about to ask Navi to respond when she took it upon herself to shout back. "I AM NAVIGATOR... er... NAVI, OF THE CIVILIAN VESSEL _COURAGE_!"

Link covered his ears so he didn't have to listen to Navi and Tatl shout it out in between the distance of the ships. When Tatl continued broadcasting the sound was at a more bearable level. "You are in restricted airspace! We will escort you to The Hyrulean Army Sky Shipyard CHK-7! If you do not comply, we will cripple your ship and blast you down as traitors to the Crown!"

Link held up a hand to stop Navi from responding, and turned on his earpiece. "Wrench, are you hearing this?"

"_How could I not? Why do fairies have to yell so loud?_"

Link rolled his eyes. "Yeah, tell me about," he said. Link shook his head and asked, "Can you get the warp drive running?"

Link heard some shouting in the background before Wrench's voice crackled into his ear. "_'Fraid not captain. The warp drive is completely burned out. I told you what would happen if we went to warp before running a prop-_"

Not wanting Wrench to say, 'I told ya so!', Link cut in, "Yeah thanks Wrench, gotta go now, bye."

Link switched his radio off and considered making a run for it on the engines. _If we run, they cripple the Courage and we get blown out of the sky. Plus, they'll know we're pirates. But if we go with them they find the pirate's mark on all of us and we get hanged._

_Or worse._

**!**

Boarded and captured. In a deku nut-shell; that's what happened.

Link sat in a large cell, holding Jak, Zelda, Wrench, and eleven members of the crew in with him. The _Courage _was anchored at the mouth of the cave which led to the large catacombs they found themselves in. The other fifteen of the crew were being held on the other side of the shipyard, awaiting questioning. Navi was with Link too; just in a smaller electrified cage that kept her from squeezing through the bars. But what it didn't stop, was her endless stream of insults to the guards posted nearby and every other person holding them captive.

"You shanks! I demand a lawyer and my phone call! Just 'cause I'm a fairy doesn't mean I have rights ya know! Hey! Are you even listening? Hey! Look! Listen!"

While Navi continued her fruitless efforts to get the guards attention, Link, Jak, Wrench, and Zelda had a hushed conversation in the farthest corner of the cell.

"Where do you think we are?" Jak asked, glancing around.

"That... Tatl character, said this was Shipyard CHK-7, right?" Zelda asked, looking at each of them when they nodded. "Shipyard CHK-7 is in the northernmost part of Eldin Province. We're a long way off from Ordon, that's for sure. With the warp fried it would, at the most, take about two and a half weeks without repairs."

Link bit his lower lip and nodded. "Okay. Now that we know where we are, we need to get out of here," he said, looking past his friends to the guards at the end of the corridor.

Feeling like he was missing something, Jak asked, "Wait a second here. Why were we going to Ordon anyway? Why didn't we make port at Red Palace or another of the pirate strongholds?"

Link and Zelda looked at each other. _Well, _Link thought, _I was going to tell him anyway._ _Might as well do it now._

Link opened his mouth to start the long process of trying to explain what was happening but before he could start, Zelda came to his rescue and said, "I have family there. When I explained what the situation was to you're captain here, he was kind enough to strike a bargain with me. In exchange for the parts I provided, I would receive a lift to Ordon."

Jak leaned back against the cell's bars and crossed his arms over his chest but stayed silent. It seemed Jak bought the partial truth Zelda had provided. For the moment.

Minutes passed where they sat in silence until Wrench cleared his throat. "Okay, so now that we know where we are, we need to get out of here," he repeated.

Link looked up at the guards and said, "If we can get one close enough to the bars I can knock him out, and take the keys."

Zelda looked up as well. "There's two of them though. If you take out one, the other comes running. We need to get both of them over here. But how?" she asked herself.

Jak and Wrench looked at each other. Jak turned his head, looked at Zelda and wiggled his eyebrows, a sly smile on his lips. It took her a while to understand, but when she did, Zelda took on a look of fury and slapped Jak straight across his face leaving a dark red mark. "How dare you ask that of me!"

Jak held his cheek muttering, "Ow, ow, ow. Okay, yeah. Bad idea."

Zelda lowered her voice and crossed her arms over her chest. "I think we can escape without resorting to that, thank you."

Link looked on with an amused expression on his face. "Well," he said, still smiling. "I'd rather not waste another second here, so shall we get on with escaping?"

After what seemed like an hour to the four friends buried deep underground, and after some careful planning, they finally had a solution. But it all depended on the other guard coming with the first one. The plan went like this: Jak pretends to be injured badly and when the guards came to check on him, Link and the rest of the crew would jump them, take the keys and escape. It wasn't the best plan, but hopefully, it would work.

Link clapped the dust from his hands and smiled as he retrieved the keys from one of the two guards lying unconscious on the cell floor. Link held up the keys with a confused look on his face and asked, "Why did it take over an hour to come up with this plan?"

**!**

Once they had freed Navi and locked the guards in the cell, Link and the other eleven pirates made a plan

"Okay, so we're all agreed then," Link confirmed. He turned to one of his crew members and pressed the keys into his hand. "Gill. You take Wrench and half of us, and go rescue the rest of the crew that are being held, so we have enough men to re-take the _Courage. _While you're doing that, we'll go find the armory and take as many weapons as possible._"_ Link surveyed the faces of his crew, knowing they would succeed. _They'll manage._ _They've lasted this far._ He smiled and said, "We'll meet at back here in fifteen. Good luck."

The group of pirates split into two and went down opposite corridors with their respective missions in mind. Link turned down multiple hallways, with polished marble floors and concrete walls lined with pipes and power conduits. "Navi?" Link asked as he led his group.

Navi flew out from his coat pocket and floated on to his shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Can you bring up a..." Link trailed, his pointy ears picking up on approaching footsteps. Link quieted his group and searched the hall for a door, _any _door. Finally, he found one at the end of the hall where the footsteps were coming from.

Link motioned his crew to move forward and as the last man slipped inside the dark room, the footsteps of Hyrulean Soldiers grew louder. Link watched through a crack in the door as six guards went by. They wore Hyrulean Army regulation flak jackets, black combat boots, and each carried a Repeater and a dagger at both hips. Repeaters were just like Bolt Shooters, but instead of having to reload every shot, they had fully automatic clips that fired two hundred rounds per minute. The better rate of fire was largely dependent on the mix of gunpowder and sulphur that when ignited, propelled the bullet faster than the crossbow-like firing system of Bolt Shooters.

Zelda came up behind him as he peered through the crack. "Hyrulean Special Ops Marines?" Zelda whispered in awe. "This shipyard must be very important to the war if they have more of those guys walking around."

When the coast was clear, Link shut the door the last couple of millimetres and looked into the darkness of the room. "Navi," Link said. "Can we have some light in here?"

Before Navi could respond, Zelda moved to the side of the door and Link heard a small click. Lights flared into life on the ceiling, temporarily blinding everyone in the room.

When his eyes adjusted, Link looked at Zelda beside him, pointing to a switch on the wall. Link sighed and leaned against the door as Jak came up to him and Zelda. "That was way too close," Jak said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Agreed," Link muttered. He turned his head to the blue ball on his shoulder and asked, "Navi, can you hack into the mainframe and bring up a map of the shipyard? We're gonna have to get to an armory if we're getting anywhere."

Navi put on her biggest grin (which nobody could see of course) and said, "Captain. I'm Navi. I can do anything." As soon as his Navigator finished her sentence, she started glowing crimson, deep in thought. "_Accessing mainframe... Encryption detected. Running hackware version 13.37... Pending... Access granted. Search query: Base Layout. Pending... Found._"

A few seconds later, Navi returned to her normal glow and a 3D hologram of the base appeared in Navi's signature blue light. It wavered a bit but then stabilized to show the multi-leveled, top-secret outpost they found themselves in, though on a smaller scale. It started to rotate slowly on an invisible axis, showing the outpost in its entirety.

"Okay... What do we got here?" Navi murmured to herself. "Gimme a second... We are riiiiight... here!" A red dot appeared in a small side room on Sub-Level 25. Navi hummed a tune for a few seconds before she said, "And the armory is... there!" Another red dot appeared in another room two levels up.

Link squinted at the hologram and burned it into his mind, knowing it would come to be useful later. "Is there an elevator or a stairwell nearby?" Link asked.

"Yes. Once we exit this room, we take a right and an elevator should be at the end of the corridor."

"Okay. Lets go."

Link inched open the door and stuck his head out, checking to see if the hallway was clear. Gesturing for everyone to move out, Link stayed behind to switch off the lights and close the door. Link jogged down the corridor and saw his group already at the elevator doors. Zelda jabbed her thumb at the button with an up arrow on it and a few seconds later the doors slid open with a _ding!_

The six pirates all piled in the elevator and Link hit the button with Sub-Level 27 stamped on to it. Link watched the red level indicator above the doors as the elevator jolted upwards. The number 25 slowly scrolled downwards to be replaced by 26 and then finally 27.

Link, Jak, and Zelda moved to one side of the elevator and the other three pirates did the same on their side. The doors opened and Link stuck his head out thankfully seeing no one. Link turned his head and mouthed "Go."

Exiting the elevator, Link remembered the hologram and where to go from where they were. Link led them down three hallways, always stopping at every corner to check for guards or any other personnel. Finally, they reached the hallway before the one leading to the armory. They were about to turn the corner when Link's ears heard a conversation around the corner. Link stopped them from proceeding with his arms held out behind him and listened in on the guards.

"...you hear about the prisoners that got shipped here?"

"Yeah, heard they were pirates."

"Well you heard right. I hope they get hanged. Damn pirates are no good..."

"Well I wouldn't say that," Link said, putting a hint of mock hurt into his voice.

The guards swiveled in their chairs and reached for their Repeaters but Link and Jak were already on them. Once the guards were knocked out, Link went to turn the giant steel wheel on the door but Zelda's hand snapped around his wrist. She tapped her ear and said, "Listen."

Link strained his ears and he heard a faint buzzing coming from the door. "The door is electrified," she continued.

Zelda went over to one of the guards and rummaged around in some of their pouches before she straightened and came back to the door. Link watched as she ran her over the wall to the right of the door until she opened a small panel in the wall. Three beeps followed Zelda running a small card through a device in the wall. A metallic grinding noise went with the large door swinging open, permitting them to enter.

Link entered with his friends in line behind him. Like the storage closet, the room was pitch black but Link knew what to look for. When he snapped on the lights, everybody gasped.

Navi flew off his shoulder. "_Sweeeeeeeet._"

Rack upon rack and shelf upon shelf lined the walls with large lamps hanging from the ceiling, illuminating the room. Swords, daggers, Repeaters, Bolt Shooters, Scattershots – hell even _Sky Busters_ were there.

Link took a few tentative steps, trying to believe the sights before him. Link chuckled lightly as Jak and the other three crew members went past him to check out their new toys. Zelda came up beside him having the same reaction to Jak's child-like behaviour to the weapons. They watched as he brought a Scattershot to his shoulder and looked down the sights with his biggest grin. "Looks like someone's having fun," she said as she walked towards the gun racks. Link grinned and went to help himself.

**!**

After having taken their choice of weapons from the armory, they left loaded down with Repeaters, Scattershots, swords and even a couple of Sky Busters. Scattershots were similar to Repeaters with the two exceptions being that they sported superior fire-power and a slower rate of fire with the pump-action to load a new shell. Each shell held around ten shots which are fired simultaneously which made it an excellent short-range weapon.

Now the Sky Busters... Those were a different story. They were long and heavy metal tubes that fired land-to-air missiles that will take down any civilian ship with, at the most, two shots. Luckily, you didn't have to reload each shot as it had another tube holding another missile.

Once they were done inspecting their new weapons they made their way back to their meeting place and waited for Wrench to get back with the rest of the crew. After about five minutes Wrench rounded a corner with eighteen crew members in tow.

"Wrench, how'd it go?" Link asked as they came into sight.

"We knocked out a few guards on the way there. We hid them, but they're gonna be noticed pretty so-" Wrench was cut off by a loud alarm. All over the base, guards were gearing up to find the intruders. Wrench groaned and muttered, "Speak of the devil."

Link, Jak, Zelda, and the other three crew members they had with them, passed out their weapons to each person but they were still a few guns short. Link looked over his rag-tag crew. "We're gonna need to get to the elevator we saw earlier and get topside. When we do, it's going to be swarming with guards." Link paused, choosing his words carefully. "Now I'm not going to say this is gonna be easy, because it's not. I have no idea what to expect, so stay alert. Lets go."

As the crew went by, Jak stopped next to his captain. "Nice pep talk captain," he said with a grim smile.

Link sighed and replied, "Yeah. I know that was pretty bad. But hey, we got arrested and we're going to escape. I think that speaks for itself."

Jak nodded and went to join the crew heading for the elevator. Link retraced his steps back to the elevator and told half the crew to wait there as they wouldn't all fit. It took five minutes to reach the top floor and when the doors slid open they found themselves in a large cavern. They stepped out on to a long stretch of road that looked much like a runway. Link looked up and saw the cave ceiling covered with stalagmites, so far up that it made him slightly dizzy to look at.

As soon as the rest of the crew rejoined him on the top floor, Link nodded to them and they all moved forward. The runway seemed to spiral upwards until it leveled out to a docking platform. When Link emerged from the catacombs, he was assaulted with the bright light and the sweltering air of Eldin Province. But that wasn't the only thing there.

Two Spec Ops Marines atop Loftwings were on both sides of the large opening, and between them there were twenty more Marines with Repeaters all aimed at Link and his crew. Link noticed the twin Gattlers fixed to the saddles of the Loftwings and they were already spinning.

A taller man with a red beard and the uniform of a Colonel strode through the lines and addressed Link. "HALT! I am Colonel Auru of The Hyrulean Army! Any attempts to escape will be met with deadly force. Surrender and relinquish your weapons in the name of the Crown!"

Link re-adjusted the grip on his Repeater but did not reply. The Colonel raised a fist. "READY!"

Link swallowed. "AIM!"

Link closed his eyes, ready for death. He knew it would be a better alternative to what would happen if he surrendered. "FI-" The Colonel's attack command was drowned out by the loudest noise Link had ever heard exploded through the air. Link snapped his eyes open and saw a giant blast door start to descend from the ceiling of the cave. Before the soldiers could fire, it fell in between them, cutting them off from the platform.

When the dust settled, Navi appeared on his shoulder, giggling wildly. "Did you see that guys face when I closed the door on him? He was _soooo_ ma-" Navi was cut off with her own laughing as she rolled around on his shoulder. Link rolled his eyes and shifted from foot to foot. When she finally calmed down she let out a few more chuckles before she said, "You _soooo _owe me one captain! A big one!"

Despite himself, Link let out a few laughs as well. "Okay, yeah. I owe you one. What do you want?"

"All in due time dear captain, all in due time."

Link lightly brushed her off his shoulder and said, "Hey! Just because you saved our butts doesn't mean you get to act all high and mighty there."

Navi was about to protest when Zelda cleared her throat. "Shall we get on with escaping?"

Three resounding explosions sounded from outside the blast door. Link whirled around expecting to see soldiers streaming in, but thankfully, the door held. _Duh, Link, _he thought. _It's a _blast _door._

Link bit his lower lip and asked, "Hey Navi? How long will that door hold?"

"Well," she started. "It's a blast door. Soooo... you know. A while," she said, verbalizing Link's thoughts.

"Are there any other exits then?" Jak asked.

"Nah Jak. It's this door or bust," Navi said, her little arms crossed.

"Could we take them?" Wrench chimed in. "There's twenty-six of us to their twenty-three."

"That we saw," Zelda added.

Link watched the exchange, already thinking of a way out. "How about this?" Link started, quieting his friends. "We wait until they try blasting again, then Navi," Link pointed to her. "you open the doors while there's still smoke floating around, and when they come to check if their explosives worked, we take 'em by surprise."

The crew and his three friends seemed to be considering it. "Sounds like it might work," Zelda said slowly.

"Easier said then done," Jak countered.

Just then, more explosions sounded on the door along with a loud creaking sound. Link turned his head to see a section on the lower part of the blast door take on a red hue. "Yeah I realize that, but I don't think we have a lot of options here," Link said in response to the explosions. "Now I'd say we have about three more blasts unt-" Link was cut off with more explosions. He sighed and finished, "Make that two more blasts until they get through."

"I say we do it," Wrench said, his face peeking over the top of his Sky Buster as he struggled to hold it.

A murmur of agreement went through his crew, as they too brought up their weapons. Jak inhaled and exhaled before he said, "Okay. Fine. Lets do it."

As soon as Jak said, "okay" Link was splitting them into two groups one led by Zelda and himself, the other Jak and Wrench. The two teams took up positions on either side of the red spot on the blast door, their sides leaning against the metal heated by the hot atmosphere of Eldin.

Navi nestled herself deep into Link's pocket and when she spoke her small voice was muffled in the coarse fabric. "_Ready to open the doors captain!_" Link heard sniffing sounds from inside his pocket. "_Aw, captain... You really need to wash this coat! It smells like rotting Moblin on a hot summer day!_"

Link rolled his eyes and re-adjusted his grip on his Repeater, waiting for the inevitable explosion to shake the blast door. When it did, Navi didn't wait for Link's signal to open the door. "GO! GO! GO!" Link yelled as they rushed out into the giant cloud of smoke, guns blazing.

Link's mind entered a battle haze. Everything around him seemed to slow down. Something within him switched on. His Triforce burned on his right hand, the light barely escaping the confines of his gloves. The blue in Link's eyes became rimmed in gold. His actions turned to rhythm. The only sound was his heart beating in his ears.

_Two steps. Fire. Fifteen metres._

_Two steps. Fire._

_Two steps. Roll. Fire._

_Take cover. Fire. Thirteen metres._

_Reload. Roll. Two steps. Fire._

_Flip. Roll. Two steps. Fire._

_Sprint. Ten metres._

_Five steps. Fire._

_Out of ammo, switch to Scattershot. Fire._

_Sprint. Fire. Five metres._

_Jump over. Fire._

_Reload. Five steps. Fire._

_Out of ammo, switch to sword. Slash._

_Slash. Slash. Slash. Two metres._

_Sprint. Almost there._

"AHHH!" Link's mind snapped back into focus as he took the full force of a Scattershot blast to the back. The balls of lead ate through his flak jacket and ground into his skin, shredding his back to a bloody pulp. The gold left his eyes and his Triforce went dormant as he fell on to the gangplank, screaming in agony. All around him was chaos. One of his crewmen was cut down by Gattler fire as a Loftwing swooped down; his body becoming a bloody mess. Explosions rocked the platform. Shouting filled Link's ears that had been deafened by all the noise. Dust, dirt, rocks, and metal flew into the sweltering air. Soon, the pain was too much to bear.

His mind filled with pain and images from his past, Link slipped away like water through a child's fingers. His body may have been on that platform, but it had turned hollow.

* * *

**Oh no! Link has been downed! Will he survive, or will this story come to an end after only four chapters? No. (Which one did I answer?) ;)**

**Well there you go. I hope you thought this chapter was well worth the wait, (which I apologize for of course) because I think it was. It established some more weapons, Army personnel, Warships, an awesome escape scene, badass (pardon my french) Loftwings with Gattlers, etc, etc. I hope I didn't go on **_**too **_**long about the new guns because I had like, what, three or four sentences on Repeaters? :/ Ah well...**

**Anyway, what do you think will go happen to Link in his wounded state? Tell me your prediction in your review. Also, remember to check my profile every Saturday as I will be giving you all a quick update on the progress of the next chapter. **

**Hope you liked it, remember to leave a review. Until next time.**

**-ScooterJLM**

**P.S. Wouldn't Loftwings with Gattling Guns be **_**soooo **_**cool? What makes it even better, is that there's two on them. I sense an aerial dogfight in the works soon. But to be honest, I was probably going to do one of those anyway, even without the Gattlers. Wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of them though.**


	5. Blood Bargain

**DISCLAIMER: ****I, ScooterJLM, do not own The Legend of Zelda or Nintendo. I however, own any and all OCs that will appear in this story. I am not making any profit off this work of fiction.**

**Author's Note:**** Hot diggity daffodils! (Yeah, I actually say that.) Chapter five is finally up after 241 days of waiting! I was bored after I finished it at around one in the morning and decided to find out exactly how much time I've made you guys wait. It occurs to me that not that many people are actually following this story and looking out for the next chapter, because I received no feedback or motivational words during the process of writing this chapter (pointed look). I've come to realise that feedback is a writer's dietary requirement, and I am hungry.**

**Shout Outs:**** Hyliaelvulcanish Bard of Death: Thanks for the reviews on every chapter no less, awesome name, and yes, Loftwings with Gattlers would be (or rather are) epic.**

**Mrdirtguy3: Thanks for the review, good to know people like my writing. And yes, I suppose Loftwings wouldn't be able to carry around two Gattlers, but these are military Loftwings. They're trained for years by, you know, lifting weights or whatever. Just roll with it.**

**Special Thanks:**** I'd like to thank ****Orange Headphones**** for your words of wisdom on the first four chapters, mostly about grammar, punctuation, and awkward sentences, but I still appreciated your help nonetheless.**

**R&R.**

* * *

Chapter Five: Blood Bargain

He stood. It seemed like such a simple thing, such a trivial thing to be standing, but it was a miracle considering his state.

The empty shell that was his body held no feeling or emotion. Blood dripped from the wound on his back, turning the ground beneath his feet into a pool of his life essence, black soil mixing and swirling around in it. His eyes were rolled back, showing neither his pupils or irises. For several moments, Link did nothing. He didn't move, he didn't breathe, he simply showed no sign of being alive.

Then, slowly, Link's eyes rolled back into place. Blue eyes gleamed once again, but they dulled, his vision clouded. He gave a shuddering breath, feeling the damp yet dry air fill his lungs. It was cold but it lit his lungs on fire with every shaking breath.

Link's clouded eyes roved over every inch of his new surroundings, a sudden dizziness and nausea overtaking him and forcing him to his knees. His vision spun and blurred, his head lolling side to side. Not being able to hold it in, he dropped his head and wretched until there could not be a single thing left in him. His eyes watered as he fell onto his back, a ragged cough escaping his mouth, feeling like a dagger to his already burning throat. He closed his eyes and waited for his disorientation to pass. A thousand questions ran through his mind, none of them able to be answered by his scrambled brain.

Finally, Link mustered what little strength he had and struggled to his feet. Once the dizziness was gone, Link could properly see his surroundings. There was no light, but if there was, he doubted that it could make it through the dense mist covering everything. Tall, blackened, dead trees surrounded him, giving the forest clearing a look that sent shivers down his spine. Scraggly bushes and short yellow grass dotted the perimeter of the clearing.

As Link scanned his surroundings, he started to notice a soft dripping sound. _Drip. Drip. Drip._

Link turned in a circle and strained his ears for the dripping sound. He found it was gone. Just when he was about to look around again, something wet leaked into his boot, soaking his toes.

Confused, Link looked down and saw his boots drenched in blood, a dirty red puddle beneath his feet. The image sprung something loose from his mind, like a locked door pried open with a crowbar. Link felt his back and found there was a ragged hole in the back of his coat, the skin on that part of his back shredded, and felt warm and wet. His fingers came away covered in blood, but for some reason Link felt nothing at the sight of it.

Link furrowed his brow and tried to remember what had happened to him. _I remember... a mountain. A platform. _Link closed his eyes and thought harder. _Pain. So much pain._

The hair on the back of Link's neck stood up, goosebumps covering his arms. Something was not right about the place he awoke in. It had a feel of evil. Something malevolent, cruel, and cold. And it was close.

A twig snapped.

Link whipped around.

Link's heart pounded heavily in his chest, and he would have vomited from fear if he hadn't already emptied his stomach. His eyes met with a tall figure, covered from head to toe with a black robe. Rotting hands peeked out of tattered sleeves, its feet wrapped in mouldy bandages. Not a lot of things scared Link but this thing instilled a level of fear in him he was unaware he had.

Link's eyes widened as he backed up and reached for a sword that was never there to begin with. He felt his Bolt Shooter holster. Empty.

It continued advancing towards Link, his head bowed, the shadows of his hood hiding his features. Link kept backing up, wanting to get as far away as possible from the creature.

Then it was gone. Without taking his eyes off it, it had managed to disappear. It seemed different to the device Ghirahim had used that fed off of Dark Energy Rods. It was simply there one moment and gone the next.

Link continued backing up, not able to shake the intense fear biting at his heart. Link froze when his back hit something. "Welcome to my domain," came a voice from directly behind him. Its breath smelled rancid, like rotting corpses and orchids. A hooded head leaned over his shoulder and whispered in his ear, "Hylian."

* * *

Link lay there, a pained expression on his face, his skin losing its former dark tan from the amount of blood he had lost. His wound was grievous, a wound that made Scattershots popular with the military as close-quarters weapons. His chest was bare, covered only with a thick wrap of bandages around his lower back and stomach. Sometime when the medical teams were treating and wrapping his wound, they must have changed his clothes as well. With his only clothes being a pair of grey shorts and black socks, his muscles were more noticeable.

Zelda knew it was the worst time to be thinking of such things, but she had never noticed how good-looking he was. She supposed she had been too occupied with escaping a maximum security shipyard and being thrown in the cargo hold of a Sky Pirate ship to notice. Dark tan, shaggy blonde hair, shockingly bright blue eyes, and the faintest shadow of a moustache and beard.

Zelda shook her head at her thoughts and looked past him to the wooden double doors that marked the entrance to the infirmary. The only sign that indicated this was the infirmary, was a sloppy red cross painted in the middle of the doors. She was sure the wood was bent somewhere on the other side from when Jak kicked the doors open while carrying Link, despite the heavily bleeding wound on his arm. They had just gotten everyone they could onto the ship and Navi fired up the engines while anybody uninjured provided cover fire for their escape.

All the wounded had been rushed below deck to the infirmary, including Link who got the most attention and care from the two medics on board, seeing as he was the most severely injured. His back had been shredded and torn apart by the Scattershot, leaving a large patch of his back looking like the pulp of an orange. _Fortunately, all the lead missed his spinal column so if he recovers he'll have no problem walking, thanks to the crew._

From what Zelda had seen, the crew and their captain shared the strongest of bonds, something that she had almost never seen or experienced. It saddened her that she had never really had a good relationship with anyone but her late mother. _Such is castle life I suppose, _Zelda thought, a mental sigh going along with it. _There are ties between the crew and their captain, but what's there with Link and Jak... it's much stronger. Link seems almost... fatherly towards Jak._

Zelda's thoughts went on like this for minutes, trying to piece things together, find the connection. She found that when she couldn't figure something out she became restless and her hand that housed her piece of the Triforce became irritated, as if it shared in her frustration. Then what came next was the useful part. Sections of her brain would shut down, and her Triforce would take over, scanning her mind for every detail known about what she was thinking about. _He has red eyes, a very uncommon trait for Hylians, so it's either a genetic mistake or he is the remaining survivor of the Sheikah Extinction Event. It could go either way. Sheikah don't usually have pointed ears, but with the way he fights he must had some Sheikah training._

The fact that he may be the last Sheikah shocked her greatly. Ganondorf's first act of war against Hyrule was to annihilate the shadow clan knowing that they were the greatest warriors to inhabit the earth. He must of overlooked the fact that Hyrule Castle and the Sheikah villages remained in regular contact, so when the Sheikah courier didn't show up with their monthly status update, all it took was a scout ship out to their western villages to tell something was up. Soon after, the shield wall that surrounded Castle City was raised, and the army mobilized to the Provinces of Eldin, Snowpeak, Faron, and Ordon. The thing that outraged her about the war was that it had gone on for _seven years,_ neither side willing to compromise or surrender.

It was just before the war that her mother had passed away, and a year and a half later that she had received Tetra, the witch that she was, as a step-mother. She once mustered the courage to ask her father what was going through his mind when he decided to marry her and crown as Queen, and he simply replied, "It was the logical and the politically right thing to do for the country.". That was when the last amount of love for her father was drained from her heart, when he was replaced with this cold, calculating stranger. It was five and a half years later that she finally realised she needed to do something about the war herself. It was also around that time that she received her Triforce, and the message that came with it.

_My Chosen, I bestow this divine mark to your care so that you may be enlightened about the state of things. If this war continues, it will consume the planet, eating away at the world's resources, draining its water, hollowing its earth. There will be no peace, no treaty, only death. Neither side will win, and both their people will starve. It has happened once before. There is but one person who may save you. He is a Sky Pirate, currently raiding the areas surrounding the Celestian Seas. He may be a pirate but my Sister must have seen something inside him for him to be chosen to bear the burden. Seek him out and search for the Blade of Evil's Bane, the Master Sword, and end this war by driving it through Ganondorf's heart. The definite outcome of things is clouded from me but the present is informative enough to tell me something is _wrong_._

_Seek him out._

Zelda had then woken up knowing things that she had never known or heard of before, and being able to do things she had never done. Days later, she set out into the Celestian Sea, soon getting marooned on Koholint Island for a whole two months. She had thought she had failed her task until the same man she was searching for came to her. At first, he was a way off the island without drowning or starving, but when she activated his dormant Triforce she had unwittingly completed her task.

Zelda sighed and continued her earlier train of thought, already used to the tangents her given wisdom led her to. _Whether or not he is of Sheikah origins, he will want some answers about why we were en route to Ordon, and what Link's Triforce is._ During their escape she had seen him eyeing the golden pulse of his mark, obviously confused about what had happened to his captain. _I don't think Link knows anything about it either. I have endangered his life without giving him a reason and he has not asked a single question. Who is this man, and why is he so trusting?_

Zelda may have had the Triforce of Wisdom, but that was one question she couldn't answer.

* * *

It was early next morning that things started looking worse than they already were. The wound on Link's back started turning a light shade of yellow from infection and his skin lost more colour than it had already had, a cold sweat dampening his brow.

Jak sat next to him, his face in his hands, barely looking at his captain. _Captain? _Jak thought, slowly dragging his hands down his face. _No, father._

It had been seven years since Jak had been taken under Link's care as a starving orphan boy wandering the streets of Castle City after his village was destroyed. Seven years of training and honing of his natural Sheikah skills turned him into excellent fighter and an almost no-miss marksman. And it had developed a strong bond between them, something unbreakable. Jak remembered his parents but they were long since faded memories lost in the new life he had been given, Link and the rest of the crew taking their place.

His parents weren't the only things he recalled of his old life. The attack on his village was still fresh in his mind as if it were yesterday.

_Jak sat on the roof of his small home, a boyish grin on his lips as he watched the sun fade below the horizon taking the reddish-orange light with it, to be replaced by the purple then black of the night sky. Multicoloured stars bloomed into life turning the sky into a painted canvas of reds, greens, and blues. Din's Fireball, Nayru's Wave, and Farore's Tree were all visible. Jak enjoyed hearing about the Three Golden Goddesses even though his mother told him that those were the Hylian gods and that the Sheikah had their own Shadow Goddess to worship._

_Down below, Sheikah guards were climbing the tall black iron brackets that lined the cobblestone streets, lighting the torches by summoning blue flames in their hands and dropping them in. The torches were a simple courtesy to the Sheikah in training who did not yet possess their Sight, Jak included. It was to be bestowed upon him by his trainer Rennor, on the day of his twelfth year, which just so happened to be in a few hours. That was why he was on his roof in the first place, to watch the sunrise with his dark hazel eyes one last time before they were turned crimson and he was accepted into the Sheikah fold as a warrior._

_The moon rose over the tall grass-covered plains, splashing pale silver moonlight on to his roof and the vast produce fields outside the village. Despite what most people believed, the Sheikah were primarily farmers since soldiers weren't the highest priority considering the encroaching food shortage. The Hyruleans were apparently too busy with other matters to lend a hand._

_While Jak reflected on these things with a level of understanding beyond his years, the moon rose high in the sky then fell back down to the other side of the world, the golden orb that was the sun taking its place. The previously unseen clouds were coloured red, orange, and purple, a masterpiece of nature. _Wait, _Jak thought, his eyes narrowing at the horizon, _what's that?

_Seven large Sky Ships, their Trinium armour and black iron cannons glinting in the early morning sunlight were speeding towards the village. What bothered Jak the most was the flags they were flying: two golden scimitars crossed under a black pyramid with a blue eye in the center._

_Gerudo._

_Jak jumped to his bandaged wrapped feet and slid down the slanted side of his roof, turning his body around to face his house as his grabbed the ledge. He back flipped through the air and landed in a crouch, already running towards Rennor's home. It was no use looking for his parents seeing as they were in a council meeting on the other side of the village. His feet slapped against the cobblestone streets, darting in between horses and people alike, sprinting as fast he could. Jak rounded a corner, shouts of alarm sounding down the street as people noticed the approaching threat. The crowd ran against Jak, bumping into his shoulders and tripping him up as he tried to move closer to the buildings, knowing Rennor's house was near._

_Finally, Jak freed himself of the crowd and found his destination. Rennor's was a squat wooden shack that looked small but had a network of tunnels and underground rooms beneath it. Jak burst through the door, his chest heaving up and down as his searched the room for his master. "Master Rennor! Several Gerudo Sky Ships are approaching the village! Master Rennor!"_

_Rennor himself appeared from behind a door at the far end of the room, a large box in his hands. He was a tall man, long grey hair tied back in a pony-tail, wearing a black trench coat, shirt, and trousers, his feet bandaged as well. His face was hard, his crimson eyes glowing in the room's darkness under his bushy eyebrows. Jak's master turned his back to him, opening the box and moving its contents around, searching for something. "Master Rennor?" Jak called, not sure why he wasn't reacting to the news._

_Rennor continued to rummage around in the box, finally stopping and pulling out a small curved leather sheath. "Come over here Jak," the older man said, turning around to face him. "This is for you."_

"_But Master Rennor, there's no time for tha-" A high-pitched whistling cut through Jak's words._

_Rennor whipped around and ran towards Jak, panic in his eyes. "Get down!"_

_The world exploded, the walls of Rennor's home imploded, breaking into nothingness and knocking the both of them to the ground. Wooden shrapnel from the walls and stone from the street filled the air. Jak's ears rang, his vision went dark, all his senses blind._

_Then it all came rushing back._

_His eyes opened to see deep bloody gashes all over his arms, fires burning on the street. What he saw next was what made his stomach lurch. Trapped under wood and stone lay a mangled Rennor, his face bloodied and twisted in pain, one of his arms at an odd angle. With a long shout of pain, Jak pushed the rubble off his back, crawled to his feet and stumbled over to where Rennor was buried._

_A trickle of blood flowed from between his master's lips, his breath raspy and choked. Jak had no time to say a single word because as soon as he dropped to his knees next to Rennor, his master put his free hand in front of Jak's face, a string of words in Sheikah falling from his lips. Pressure began to build behind Jak's eyes, soon blossoming into a stabbing pain. Jak closed his eyes in pain, a loud groan escaping his throat._

_Moments later he felt his master take his hand away, his dying voice sounding in his ears. "You are a true Sheikah now Jak. Take the gift of Sight respectfully, and use it to see the truth in the darkness of the unknown."_

_Jak slowly opened his eyes and he saw everything. Everywhere he looked the shadows of night were gone, he could see the Gerudo ships bombarding the village from the high perch in the sky, but what he saw in front of him seemed to matter more. Rennor's lips were pulled upwards in a soft smile, his eyes glossed over._

_His master was dead._

_With a trembling hand, Jak closed Rennor's eyelids, his mind screaming at him to get out while he still had a chance, but there was one last thing he needed to do. Next to where Rennor's good arm had fallen, was the curved dagger he had offered Jak when he arrived. Jak slid the sheath into his belt and took off, over the scorched ruin that was his master's house, down the main street, wincing as more Gerudo cannon fire sounded in the distance but still close enough to make him quicken his pace. By the time Jak made it to the stables on the outskirts of the village, his lungs were burning and his arms bleeding even more._

_Jak could hear the horses kicking and screaming in their stalls as he approached the wide opening that marked the entrance to one of the stables, reminding himself to set them free before he left._

"_Agh!" Jak shouted in pain as his head was seized by a large green hued hand, dashing it against the stable wall twice then letting his body fall to the ground harshly._

_As Jak opened his eyes, he saw a tall green-skinned man, closely cropped fiery red hair covering his head and malevolent yellow eyes squinting at him menacingly. The Gerudo man moved to wrap his hands around Jak's neck to throttle him but he soon wrapped them around his own as he tried to staunch the flow of blood spurting from his neck. Jak's arm had moved lightning fast, grabbing the dagger from his belt and slashing across the man's throat. The Gerudo fell backwards, sickening gurgles and gasps coming from him until he finally stilled._

_Jak jumped up from his place on the ground and ran into the stables, ignoring the fact that he had taken a life. He unlatched every stall but one, yelling at the horses and waving his arms to get them away from the destruction. Jak mounted the last horse, wrapping the rough leather reins around his hands and giving his horse a kick. It galloped out of the stable and down the last stretch of dirt path and into the tall grass, it too realising that they had to flee._

_Jak gave his horse another kick and tried to ignore the tears streaming down his cheeks. He didn't look back._

Jak looked down and saw his hand had drifted to the same curved dagger he had been given by Rennor. He ran a thumb over its hilt over and over, seeing the green blood of the first man he had slain dripping off the blade.

* * *

Its voice chilled his blood, stood the hairs on the back of his neck straight up, and froze his body with fear. He slowly turned, his heart jumping up into his throat. It leaned down and slowly laid a rotting hand on Link's shoulder, beginning to speak again. "I am Death, The Dead One, whatever it is you mortals call me. I watch over this realm of souls and see them to their destination."

Link wanted to put up a fight, insult and taunt it, even run away if he had to, but he was frozen to the ground. _Death? _"I-I'm... dead?"

Death made a strange sound that could have qualified as a scoff. "You're the shining beacon of wisdom in your world aren't you?" he said dryly.

Link slowly looked down, his mind racing a mile a minute, ignoring the sarcastic remark. He looked at his hand, flexing his fingers one at a time then all at once. "This can't be real." He curled his hand into a fist. "It _can't_ be."

Death started pacing slowly, speaking again. "No, I don't think so either. Whether or not it is real, you _are _dead."

Gaining a bit of courage, Link looked up at it. "You're a real asshole, aren't you?"

Death stopped his pacing and laughed. "Oh really?"

Link stood, his old pirate instincts and attitude coming back. "Yes, really. You know, I'll be honest here; you're not what I expected."

"Really. What _did_ you expect?"

Link thought for a moment. "A scythe perhaps?"

Air rushed past his body as he was propelled backwards, the world a blur. It was seconds later that Link's back slammed into the rotten bark of one of the many trees surrounding the clearing, sending shards of wood flying. The force of his sudden impact took the breath from his lungs and sent a nearly unbearable amount of pain rolling through his body.

Link slumped to the ground, watching Death's feet quickly cross the distance between them with his blurred vision. "Do not take me as caring or kind, Hylian! I can torture you until your soul is filled with an unimaginable pain, the likes of which you have never felt!"

Link rolled over onto his side and looked up at Death, a rasping laugh escaping his throat. "I guess you never met some of the women I've been with."

The reaper was silent a moment, perhaps even frustrated at Link's inability to react to what had happened. "You think yourself funny. Stand Hylian. I have had enough of your insolence."

Slowly, Link clambered to his feet, brushing the dirt off his tattered coat and looking face-to-face with Death. Death raised his hands, swirling shadows tinted red forming in his palms.

Link held his arms up to cover his face, his cry already jumping from his throat. "No! I can get you whatever you want, just let me live!" Link wasn't especially proud of this kind of groveling, but he would swallow his pride if it meant seeing his friends and crew again.

Death lowered his arms keeping his palms upwards, though the spheres of shadow didn't dissipating. "I have heard this many times from the souls I receive, why should I trust you mortal?"

Link looked past the weak defense that was his arms and thought for a moment. He dared not hesitate any longer than that. "There must be something you want, you only need to return me to my body and I will find it for you."

"What makes you assume that I am in need of anything, or that your body still exists? These are assumptions and rather poor ones at that." With this, Death raised his hands again.

Link licked his lips nervously and waved his arms slightly. "Wait, wait! You said you see people to their destination, they do not stay here, doesn't that mean I'm not dead yet?"

"What is your point Hylian, I do not require anything you can give m-" Death stopped himself, maybe rethinking his earlier sentiments. "Perhaps... Do you know of the Princess Zelda?"

_Zelda, Zelda? _Link thought, _it can't be possible. She was probably named after the Princess, it wasn't uncommon when she was born. _"Yes," he said slowly, "what about her?

"If you do this one thing you will get to keep your life."

"What is it?"

Death clasped his hands together, the shadows disappearing.

"Kill her."

_What? _Link didn't dare voice his doubts for fear that Death would resend his offer.

"You seem doubtful Hylian. Are you finding yourself incapable to carry out this task?" Death asked, its voice mocking.

Before Link could answer, Death had moved with impossible speed and latched onto the arm that housed his Triforce and drew a finger along the underside of his wrist, a burning sensation paining him greatly. When Death took his hands away, Link had a small black circle with an X through it burned into his skin. Link clutched his wrist in pain, a hissing sound coming from between his teeth.

"You bear my mark now, so if you do not complete this task, you will not be able to carry out an order given by destiny, one you will need to follow to save your world. Begone with you!" Death brought his hands up in a wide arc, a storm of black shadows tinged with red swirling and gathering around him, lifting him off the ground.

Link screamed in agony as he felt the wound on his back mending, along with his clothes any other cuts and bruises that may have covered his body. The pain was short-lived for Link because his world went black soon after.

* * *

**Crappy end to a crappy chapter, no? I realise that this chapter was quite choppy and maybe held way too much information about our characters at once, but seeing as I had literally no back story or base information about them, I figured I needed to make up for it. Bottom line: Link has made a blood pact with Death to kill a certain Princess and won't be able to complete a very important task until he does, Jak has a dark and bloody past, Zelda is actually the Princess not just named after her, and Navi wasn't even in this chapter. I completely forgot about her in the course of writing this and when I finally remembered the chapter was almost done, there wasn't really any place for her anyway.**

**Additionally, I feel the need to address something that has bothered me a lot recently. I didn't name Jak after the protagonist from Jak and Daxter. While it is the same name, it is **_**not **_**him. I honestly don't understand why I picked that name (it was probably the first to float into my head), but I suppose it's too late to change it now. I might change it when I go through this story one last time when it's completely finished, but that's a long time from now.**

**Lastly, I noticed I never credited the artist who did the artwork I have used for the cover picture so I say thank you to a member of the Newgrounds community, a Mr. or Ms. Kamikaye.**

**Hope you liked it, remember to leave a review.**

**Until next time,**

**-ScooterJLM**


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